The Rose Warrior
by ricky.zheng2000
Summary: Original Story By Ireland Ranger My take on his truly wonderful story Rate and review please. Story about pain, friendship, adventure and... well, you have to read to find out! NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
1. Chapter 1:The Introduction

So here I am, at long last. I have had just enough time to rewrite chapter one and rework chapters 2-4. Will be posting revised versions soon enough. Before, I had rushed the intro, big mistake and I am willing to fix it. I know exactly where this story will go, much more action, drama, plot twists and all that good stuff. Trust me, it's going to be great! A few questions. How far am I willing to take technology. Hmm, I'd bring it up to, but not at the age of gunpowder. A few more minor questions that will be addressed later.

Once, there was a place. Where countless generations thrived in. It seemed like a small dot, a mere speck in the middle of the vast oceans. Yet to those who lived there, this land seemed gigantic, with huge mountains to lush forests to flat grasslands. To the north was a tundra, inhabited by few, to the south was a dry prairie, followed by a vast desert. Many other island surrounded this land.

On this particular day, a storm had been brewing. Even the strongest trees couldn't stand tall in the fierce winds, rivers swelled up to the point that bridges were hidden under water. The worse part of it all was the endless amount of rain that poured from the skies. Everywhere, those who could stay indoors relaxed while those who were caught outside sought out any form of shelter that they could find.

During the raging storm, there were a few residents who simply didn't mind the storm at all. Along a dirt road, a warm orange glow was cast into the forest around it. Along the side of the road stood a house, although small, it stood defiantly throughout the raging storm. Inside the house was an elderly squirrel who sat comfortably beside a warm fireplace whistling while whittling. As he continued, he noticed trees around his home swayed dangerously in the violent winds. There were frequent scratches along the roof of his home. He thought to himself, when this storm is over, I have to cut all trees around my house down, unless I want one to come crashing down upon me. As he continued he heard a slight tapping on his door, he merely thought, another one of those bloody trees, they keep falling down outside. At this rate, I'll have enough firewood for a lifetime. Then the tapping grew louder slowly. The elderly squirrel thought, the wind outside is really making those tre- Then it hit him, there isn't a single tree around the front of my house! Getting up he approached the door, as he got closer he looked through a small window, outside he could see a cloaked figure standing outside of his home. Gripping his knife tightly, he opened the door. The cloaked figure spoke to him "Thank goodness at last! I was afraid that you wouldn't let me in!" The elderly squirrel said nothing back, but beaconed the visitor inside. He saw the figure pull back the hood on his cloak and revealed himself to be a young mouse. He relaxed his grip on his knife and spoke to his visitor "You are most welcome in my home, especially in this horrid weather. You seemed chilled to the bone, take a seat by the fireplace while I make us some tea" The visitor nodded and gladly sat by the fire, clearly relieved to be out of the dreadful weather. The elderly squirrel approached him afterwards and handed him a warm cup of tea "Say, what are you doing traveling on such a day? I would imagine that anyone would like to avoid this weather" The mouse replied quickly "I am doing something of the utmost importance, you see, the rain has caused substantial flooding east of here. There are many who need help there and it is my duty to be there to help them" The elderly squirrel chuckled at this and addressed his confused guest "Son, I am afraid that you are out of luck, you see, there is a river that you must cross to go eastwards. This river is swollen, in other words, impassable. There is no safe way to cross it and even if you cross it as soon as possible, those who need help will have gotten it by then. Going back seems pointless in this weather, why not stay here for the night?" The mouse seemed to light up at this comment "Really sir, you would offer shelter for a stranger? I am thankful for your offer as I have travelled for countless hours now" the elderly squirrel seemed delighted "It isn't really any trouble at all, I would prefer company after all" "Tell me sir, have you heard of Redwall abbey before, it is quite a distance away from here" The old squirrel nodded, deep in thought and replied "Yes, I've heard of such a place before, but what might make you feel responsible for helping those so far from you?" "You see sir, I am the abbey's champion, their best warrior. I fight for peace and to save lives and east of here, there are many lives at stake and I feel that it it my duty to be there" The old squirrel nodded and offered a seat for the mouse "I have been told before that Redwallers enjoy stories, are these rumors true?" "Yes, indeed they are. Although I don't enjoy stories from the elderly too much, no offence sir, because they seem to bring out a message. If that is the whole point of the story, then why not tell us the message in the first place?" The old squirrel laughed again "I can assure you, my young friend, that any story I possess is much better than ones you may have heard before" The mouse seemed more interested, like there might be something worth listening to. "I'm listening" The old squirrel cleared his throat and began "This story is very...special for me. A very tragic story that shows the very dark side of goodness..."

Whew! Exhausting but I shall continue! As someone said before "Perfection isn't achieved in a day, nor a month, nor a year. It is achieved when you feel proud of what you have done"


	2. Chapter 2:The horrors of torture

Cearul spat a mouthful of blood into his captor's face. It had been the only defiance he

had shown during his beating. The weasel had been pounding him mercilessly and the

squirrel was just sick of it. He grimaced as the vermin punched him in the gut, and then

growled and enclosed his paw around the chained squirrel's neck, leaving the prisoner to

gasp for air.

"Yer gotta learn respect for your betters." The vermin spat as he slammed Cearul's head

against the wall and glared into his eyes. "Yer want another meeting with the cat?"

The squirrel bared his teeth in reply and made to bite the weasel's paw. He would rather

die then have another 'session' with his tormentors. Then again, the weasel had just

been telling him about how his friends were to be tortured, slowly, so the rage he held

was completely selfless.

Barely escaping the snapping fangs, the weasel roared in fury.

"Dat's it!" He crushed Cearul's throat further and turned towards the cell door. "Bludgut

and Carcus, get your rear ends in 'ere!"

In a few moments a rat and a stoat entered the cell looking extremely tired.

"Wot's der madder now, Killpaw?" Whined the rat. "We just got asleep!"

Killpaw grabbed Cearul's scruff and unhooked his chains from the wall above the

squirrel's head. The captive immediately began to struggle and growl. His caramel eyes

flashed angrily as the Bludgut and Carcus helped restrain him. They slapped him around

a bit and added a few kicks to settle him, but the squirrel ignored his pain and writhed

furiously in their grasp. Soon he was face down on the floor, spitting fire and curses.

"'he's mad I tell yer!" Carcus said as he barely escaped the squirrel's snapping teeth.

Bludgut reached into his satchel and produced a small length of rope. Tossing it to the

stoat as he pinned Cearul's arm down with his knee, he cursed.

"Tie 'is muzzle shut while we've got 'im pinned!"

Carcus grabbed the squirrel's neck and forced the beast's head back. Cearul growled

and tried to sink his fangs into the stoats arm as the vermin clamped his mouth shut. It

took a long while, but the squirrel's muzzle was finally bound shut tightly. The captive

seemed to be running out of energy, for his struggles weren't as strained and strong as

before. Besides, his only defense had been stifled.

"C'mon." Killpaw said, dragging the squirrel painfully by his scruff. "Vurshal wants t'see

'im."

Pulled through the stone hallway of the dungeon, Cearul watched as cell after cell

passed. He wondered how many beasts like him were contained in them. Except for the

patting of paws on the stone floor the prison was silent and dreary. It was a melancholy

silence, horrible and terrifying for those held captive there. He'd been imprisoned long

enough to name every guard and torturer the castle held, yet still he had not given them

what they wanted.

The squirrel's heart began to beat with extreme speed as the group came to one

particular door that he hated seeing. As Killpaw opened the door, the captive began to

struggle wildly again. He was not about to let them put him through hell once more. He

still bore the scars from the last session and he wasn't about to let them give him more.

Carcus, Killpaw and Bludgut expected the squirrel to become frantic upon arriving at the

torture chamber. Every victim tried desperately to get away as they neared that door. The

trio held him firmly as the drug him into the gloomily lit cell.

As they entered the chamber, Cearul closed his eye tightly. He didn't want to see the

instruments of horror that lined the walls. He didn't think that he could take another

session of brutally long hours of pain. He'd resisted telling what they wanted so far, but

he didn't know how long he could keep it up. The last time, he nearly let the information

escape his lips and literally had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from screaming the

answer out to make them stop. He'd seen his blood on their paws and that memory had

scarred him for life.

He felt himself be dropped to the ground, but he kept his eyes shut. He could hear the

soft, terrifying purr of the wildcat that had caused him so much pain.

"Well, well, what have we here?" The slick voice made the squirrel's stomach lurch

horribly, nearly causing him to vomit. "Causing more trouble are we, Cearul? I can take

him from here. You three are dismissed."

There was the sound of shuffling paws, followed by the clatter and slam of a door, making

Cearul wince. The last thing he wanted was to be left alone in the same cell as a

bloodthirsty wildcat.

He hissed silently as he felt a strong paw grip his scruff and haul him from the ground.

"Ready, tree climber?" The voice said cheerfully.

Cearul didn't struggle or try to break from the grasp as he was carried across the room. It

hadn't helped him in the past and it wouldn't help him now. It wasn't that he was resigned

to whatever his fate may be. It was more rather that he was just tired of giving his captors

something to laugh at and perk their spirits up. Besides, he needed his strength for what

was to come. The unavoidable future of pain. The more he struggled, the more they

would torture him.

He felt himself lifted to a flat surface and his stomach lurched again, tying itself into

horrible knots. He opened his eyes as a big, grey wildcat clamped his paws down to the

table, making him immobile. He met the cat's cruel gaze and instantly closed his eyes

again. How he hated those glowing green orbs! They terrified him unceasingly in his

dreams. The next thing he knew the rope bruising his muzzle had been cut.

"Now..." Cearul opened his eyes to see the wildcat's back to him. He was looking over

the tools of his trade, deciding which would be the best to use on the squirrel. "Have you

finally decided to tell me what we want to know? It would save you a lot of pain, you

know."

Cearul bit his lip and slowed his quick breathing.

"No." He said in a groggy, but firm voice. He knew that the information he had held the

lives of many more beasts then just him at their pity. Giving them all away just because of

his own pain and torment could hardly be right.

"Shame." Vurshal said in a level tone. "I suppose you don't have enough sense to realize

when you're beaten."

When the cat turned around Cearul's heart skipped a beat. The cat held a long iron rod

with gloved paws. Its use was obvious and the squirrel thought he was going to faint from

horror. His body began to involuntarily shake. He watched in terror as the cat stoked a

small fire with the rod and then added a few logs.

"The more fuel, the hotter." He said sadistically, absorbing the squirrel's fear like a cruel

sponge. Vurshal placed the rod so that it was halfway in the fire and then waltzed over to

his trembling victim. "Just tell me what we want and you'll be spared of the pain. You

have the power to prevent this."

Cearul, though terrified of what was to happen to him, knew his duty. He had made a

promise, and he would keep it. Weakly, unwillingly, he shook his head.

Vurshal shrugged carelessly and waited a while by his victim before he retrieved the rod.

The metal was glowing red and smoking lightly. The squirrel tried uselessly to shift away

as the cat drew near. The cat smirked and deliberately lowered the rod towards Cearul's

arm in a slow manner. The squirrel broke into a horrible sweat and turned his head away,

squeezing his eyes shut and awaiting the burning pain to rush up his arm.

"You can stop this." The slick voice of Vurshal hissed. "Tell me."

Cearul struggled for breath in fear and let out a shuddering sigh.

"N-n-no."

"Fine." The wildcat sneered, pressing the rod on his victim.

He felt a fiery pain absorbed his arm, burning his fur and melting his skin. He had never

felt such horrible anguish in his entire life. In heated agony, the squirrel screamed.

Screams echoed through the halls of the dungeon. Serian shut his eyes and allowed

tears to slip down his cheeks. He buried his face in his arm as another cry of pain went

through the prison, causing terror to prick at his spine. He knew who the tortured beast

was and he felt horrible at not being able to help him.

"It's alright Serian." A gentle, yet firm voice said. "Have faith in Cearul."

Serian looked up at the mouse chained across from him. The chocolate furred beast was

hard to see in the blackness of the cell, but he could make out the outline. They had been

friends for many long seasons, living through sunshine and rain together. Now they were

in hell, and their friend was being treated as the scum of the earth.

"I do..." The squirrel said with a shiver. "But...he's in such agony..."

"Cearul is a noble beast." The mouse stated grimly. "He's a good soldier. He knows his

duty. He's willing to suffer rather than let others die."

Serian rubbed his arms in an attempt to gain warmth as another scream echoed through

the cell. Whatever they were doing to him, it must be horrible.

"I know...what do you suppose they're doing to him, Quad?"

The mouse sighed and scooted next to the squirrel. He placed his paw on the squirrel's

shoulder and spoke in the best reassuring voice he could find.

"Don't think on that. He wouldn't want you to."

Serian looked into the mouse's face. Even in the dark he could make out the sadness on

the beast's features.

"How are we getting out of this one, Quad?" He asked grimly. "Cearul's always been the

one with the bright ideas and he's...he's not even with us!"

Quad stared at the squirrel awhile before he put his head against the cell wall and sighed

as another cry ran through the air. Closing his eyes, he voiced the thoughts he had been

trying to avoid since the screaming had begun.

"Cearul would want us to escape."

Serian looked at the mouse as though he had been slapped.

"Leave Cear? Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not." Quad said plainly. "There's no way we could develop a plan that involves

getting Cearul free. He would want us to leave him."

Serian growled angrily.

"Are you listening to what he's going through? I'm not going to leave him here to be their

plaything, Quad! I'm surprised that you could even think of such a thing!"

"This isn't only about Cearul, Serian!" The mouse snapped back. "I hate the very idea of

leaving him here to suffer but we hardly have a choice. Our duty is to escape and report

to the army!"

"My duty is to stay and help Cearul!" The squirrel hissed. "He never wanted to be in the

bloody army anyway! The only reason he hasn't told them anything is because he's true

to his word! I'm not going to abandon him just because of 'our duty' to the damn army!

Come on Quad! He's being tortured and you want to leave him so that they can do it

whenever?"

"Ian please..."

"No Quad!" The squirrel growled, cutting off the mouse. "I won't leave him! Do what you

like, but I'm staying!"

With that Serian turned his head away and wept as another scream ran through the halls.

Cearul grit his teeth as the burning pain in his arms and shoulders flamed. Tears of agony

escaped from his eyes and ran down his face to fall upon the wooden table he was

camped to. His vision was blurred and his throat was ached and dry from his agonized

screams. He doubted he could take much more. Still, he tried to close his mind to his

tormentor's slick, clean voice.

"Just tell me and I'll let you go back to your cell and be healed."

"N-no." The squirrel said in a quiet, labored breath and then screamed painfully as the

wildcat pressed the burning rod into his left shoulder, right over an old wound.

"Please, please stop!" The squirrel cried in sheer anguish.

"Tell me where they are to meet and I'll stop."

A fresh flood of hot tears ran down Cearul's face.

"Please...I can't! Please stop! Take it off, PLEASE!"

"Tell me, squirrel!" The cat scowled, pressing on the rod so that Cearul screamed louder.

"I CAN'T! PLEASE, PLEASE STOP!"

Vurshal sneered and pulled the iron away.

"You're a determined little treerat." He hissed as he watched the squirrel sigh in miserable

relief and bite his lip in pain. "Perhaps you need something a bit more...'creative' then,

eh?"

Cearul watched warily as the cat went out of his view. He didn't know what the monster

had in mind, but it was sure to be painful. He closed his heavy eyelids and clenched his

paws like he had been doing each time he was burned. His palms were bleeding from

where his claws had pierced the skin. He was so tired. He just wanted to go to

sleep...escape the horrible pain. He even found himself even wishing he would die. But

that was a lost hope. The wildcats wouldn't kill him, not yet. He still held the location of

where his leaders were to meet.

Groaning, the squirrel opened his eyes. Vurshal was standing by him again. He hadn't

heard him come back? He supposed that didn't really matter though. Everything was

becoming cloudy and blurry...there was a loud ringing in his ears...

"Come on." The smooth voice growled as a bucket of freezing water was splashed in

Cearul's face. "I still need you awake."

The squirrel jolted from the near-unconscious state he had been fluttering in and returned

to his pain. His wounds burned like hellfire, while the rest of his body shivered in the cold

air, damp from the icy water applied.

"I have a very special tool for you, squirrel." Vurshal grinned his sadistic smile while he

spoke. "Lord Kirndoul had it specially made for you. Lets say, 'its torture with a touch of

sweetness', shall we?"

Cearul gasped in terror as the cat held up a heated metal, shaped like a budding rose

and just as red. In pure and utter terror he squirmed to get free of his restraints, his

wounds screaming in protest and bleeding terribly.

"Please..." He was begging without shame now, pleading for mercy. "Please don't...I can't

tell you...I would if I could but...I.."

"You made a promise?" The cat purred in amusement. "Yes, so you've said before...but.."

He lifted the rose-shaped iron. "..don't you want to end the pain?"

"Please don't!" Cearul was quaking visibly in fear. He knew there was no escape. "I

can't...I can't tell you..."

The cat rolled his eyes.

"You really want this pain?"

The squirrel's eyes were transfixed on the iron, but he still, painfully knew his duty.

"N..no..." He sighed, tears running free. "I..I...just..I...can't..."

"So be it." Vurshal smirked as he slowly applied the cruel, heated device to Cearul's

chest.

The squirrel let out a long scream of agony as the iron made contact with his skin. His

chest sent sparks through his nerves to register in his brain. The pain was far worse then

any of the other wound he had been given. The sizzling of flesh and the sound of

Vurshal's cackling were the last things he remembered before falling into craved

unconsciousness.

Vurshal growled in annoyance as he realized his captive had passed out seconds after

he had been burned. Removing the gore covered iron from the squirrel's chest and

tossing it aside, he called for Killpaw.

The weasel arrived as the wildcat was unclamping the tortured squirrel from the table.

His eyes fell upon the horrifying wound on the beast's chest and he gulped. The smell of

burnt flesh and fur still hung in the air, making the vermin want to vomit.

"Here, take the damn tree rat to his cell then fetch the healer." Vurshal said lifting Cearul's

form from the table and placing him in Killpaw's arms. "Lord Kirndoul doesn't want this

one to be a corpse just yet."


	3. Chapter 3: The deal

Cearul sighed and tossed a pebble at the opposite wall. The small stone made contact

with a soft clicking sound before dropping to the stone floor. He flicked his tail in

boredom

as he picked up another pebble from the floor and threw it, aiming for a particular brick

that he had chosen in random. He missed and grumbled under his breath, pulling on his

chains for slack because they had taken off his aim.

Suddenly a cry ran through the corridor and filled the cells. Some Beast was in the torture

chamber. The squirrel squeezed his eyes shut and his paw shot instinctively to his chest.

After a moment, the shout died away and Cearul found himself panting. He looked down

at his chest and quickly drew his paw from the horrid scar as if it had been stung. The

ghastly shape of a rose burned into his skin lay scarred on his chest for life. It was the

mark that had nearly cost him his life and it still bothered him mercilessly.

"Torture with a touch of sweetness..."

Cearul shook slightly and rested his elbows on his knees. Over time, his suffering turned

to rage but unleashing it would only result in torture. Putting his head in his paws

the squirrel sighed deeply. He wanted nothing more than to forget what he had suffered

and to be rid of the horrible scars left on his body. He hadn't told them what they

wanted...until the date of the meeting had passed. Then again, he had been hardly in any

state to tell anyone anything. Oh they had been angry with him. So angry that they had

had him whipped, starved and left to rot in his cell. Although he would have liked to have

been given more bread and water, he was grateful that they had left him alone for the

past few weeks.

Suddenly the cell door creaked open and Killpaw walked in, a sneer over his face.

"Get up 'scurrell!" The weasel growled, grabbing Cearul's arm and hauling him up. "Lord

Kirndoul wants to see yer."

Cearul bared his teeth at the vermin and growled, but allowed himself to be pushed from

the cell. The moment he stepped from his prison, he turned, swinging his chained paws

with all his strength. In a quick collision, Killpaw was unconscious and the squirrel was

kneeling by his form, searching for the keys to his cuffs. It didn't take him long to find

them and free his mangled wrists. He rubbed them and grinned slightly to himself. It had

been a long while since the last time he could move about freely without the weight of

metal on his wrists and it felt wonderful.

"Now, now, planning on going somewhere?" A voice said from behind the escaping

captive. Cearul's heart leapt, he noticed the sliding voice instantly. "Come Cearul, get

away from the jailer...now."

Cearul actually hesitated obeying Vurshal's order. Any other creature would have done

his bidding without question, knowing the horrors the cat could inflict on them. But Cearul

just wanted his freedom, and he was willing to do whatever he had to do get it. Even

then, he knew he couldn't defeat the wildcat...in truth, his short-lived luck had run out.

"No." The squirrel growled. He was sick of that cat's dominant way of acting. Nothing

could get him to obey the blasted feline.

"No?" Vurshal spat. "No? After all this time under my care you dare to defy me with no?"

Cearul stood up and turned to meet the wildcat's cold gaze. He instantly noted that the

torturer was flanked by two other cats. However, that didn't change his mind.

"Do what you like, fleahide, I said 'no'." He sneered in defiance. "The only care you ever

gave me were the marks burned and cut into my body."

"He's a bold little creature, isn't he?" The orange wildcat on the torturer's right stated with

an impassive face. He studied the squirrel with keen green eyes and then nodded to the

third cat. "Get him."

The wildcats had had no trouble getting a hold of the squirrel down in the dungeons.

Cearul was weak from malnourishment and could hardly fight. He reached down and quickly brought up Killpaws' rapier. He was weak from all of the treatment he received, he could barely stand, let alone take on two wildcats. He was easily disarmed and quickly restrained. Now he struggled feebly to

break from the large wildcat that held him. He knew it was a useless battle, but he fought

anyway. It was better than just giving in.

He squinted under his blindfold and strained his paws that were now bound in front of

him with rope. He nearly felt exposed and helpless. Though, despite being blinded, he

carefully followed their path of their directions. Left, right, left, up some stairs, right, stairs,

a door being opened...He winced as he heard Vurshal's voice begin to speak.

"Lord, here is the prisoner you asked for."

"Good." A dry, flat and emotionless voice said, sending shivers down Cearul's spine.

"Now leave us."

In a split second, the squirrel was dropped carelessly to the floor. Then the sound of

shuffling paws and the closing of the door was heard. After that, there was nothing but

silence. Cearul began trembling, he couldn't help it really. He was a brave beast at heart,

but his captivity had always left him guessing. He was never sure what the wildcats had

in mind. One moment they were smiling, the next, they were torturing you to death.

"Stand, squirrel." The flat voice said, causing the captive to gulp and obey the order

rather quickly.

The squirrel stood wondering before the blindfold was suddenly ripped from his eyes and

Cearul found himself staring into the emotionless face of a large, grey wildcat. He had

dark, dark blue eyes and black stripes along his body, as though several ink feathers had

raked his body. The beast leaned forward and Cearul's heart froze as the large cat cut his

bonds with his razor sharp, midnight black claws.

"There is no need for you to be bound in my presence." The Lord hissed quietly. "I could

kill you easily if you tried anything. Now come, sit." The wildcat made a gesture towards a

table, covered in dishes and platters of different foods.

Cearul was completely confused by the order, but obeyed it anyway. He didn't need his

neck cracked anytime soon, or ever for that matter. Casting a wary glance at the cat, he

sat down in the chair that wildcat had issued to him, soon followed by the grey beast.

"I wished to speak to you about your future, squirrel." The wildcat said, filling his plate

with assorted foods. Cearul couldn't help but watch hungrily as the vermin ate before him.

He'd been surviving on starvation rations from the first day he'd been captured and that

was weeks ago.

Forcing himself to forget the food he looked down at his paws and rubbed his sore,

scarred wrists.

"What's there to talk about?" He stated blankly. "You're going to kill me and that's that, no

ties."

The grey wildcat actually smiled, though Cearul decided he preferred the beast not to

show so many sharp fangs at once...

"You don't like to cut corners do you?"

The captive met the cat's gaze without emotion.

"No, I don't."

The wildcat smirked. He liked the squirrel's outright and strong nature. He wasn't going to

just back down and submit to them without a fight. He had already proved that during his

time in the torture chamber and not many beasts were able to withstand pain the way he

did. He liked a beast with a strong willpower.

"Your name's Cearul, right?"

"What?" The squirrel sneered. "Don't even know the names of your own prisoners?"

The cat laughed coldly and then grinned at the captive.

"Careful there, squirrel." He said with a light tone. "I could have you punished for

displeasing me. I am the Lord of this castle, you know. I could have you tortured to death

in the most horrifying ways with just the wave of my paw."

He waved his paw to emphasize his point and Cearul felt a twang of pain from the scar

on his chest. His paw shot to the burn immediately. Catching the wildcat's eye, he

instantly noticed his mistake and dropped his paw. Feeling as though he had shown

weakness, he looking away from the cat's gaze.

"Yes," Lord Kindoul said seriously. "-you already know this. You know I loathe those who

keep information from me...well remember that I also despise those that show me

disrespect."

The striped cat picked up a cup of wine and sipped it. The look of thirst in the squirrel's

eyes did not miss his attention. Again, he felt respect for the creature. The captive may

have been hungry, but he had a mind power that conquered his hunger. Even though the

cat could see that the beast was starving, as his ribs showed and his face was thin, the

squirrel would not admit defeat and lay before his captors in submission.

"Where are my manners, would you like something to eat or drink?" The wildcat asked

politely.

Cearul eyed the cat suspiciously and then looked at the food. He thought of his two

friends down in the dungeon cells beneath him and rage filled his soul. How dare the cat

have anything to eat while they lay down there, barely surviving on moldy bread and

lukewarm water. He clenched his paws and glared hatefully at the Lord.

"No. I don't eat with scumbags."

For a moment, there was a flash of anger in the cat's eyes and Cearul thought that he

had just stepped the line. But to his surprise, a grin quickly spread over the lord's face.

"You really plea for punishment, don't you?" He said in an amused voice. "Have you

already forgotten what I said? What if I was to cast the punishment on your fellow

captured soldiers for your insolence, rather than yourself?"

Cearul felt anger flow in his blood. If that cat even laid a paw near his friends he'd kill him

Even if it took him the rest of his life. Though the squirrel never was big on revenge, the

thought of his friend suffering could turn him into a raging monster.

Kirndoul saw the thoughts flash across the squirrel's mind as he studied the prisoner's

face. Clearing his throat he sipped his wine and then spoke calmly, in his superior voice.

"Now, will you listen to what I have to say without...interruptions and scoffing?"

The squirrel scowled. It was checkmate. He could do nothing, as the wildcat had the

upper paw. If he even tried anything, his friends would pay dearly for his defiance, as the

cat had insinuated.

"Yes." He forced out through gritted teeth, making it known that he hated the cat.

The wildcat nodded in discreet triumph and pushed a plate of assorted food towards the

captive.

"Good. Eat and listen quietly."

Though Cearul was angry that the cat threatened him, he didn't argue about eating a little

something. If he was going to get out of here he needed to get some strength, and

besides if he refused, his friends would be tortured. Sighing, he warily took an apple from

the plate and chewed reluctantly on it. Yes, he was hungry, starving, but he didn't want to

give this monster the joy of him being at his mercy.

"Now." Kirndoul began, folding his paws to his chin and resting his elbows on the table. "I

have heard from your friends in my dungeons that you are a fine fighter. Is that true?"

"Did you torture them like you did me to find that out?" Cearul did his best not to spit his

response out, clearly forgetting the warning he'd just received. But he could hardly help

the bitterness he felt towards the cat.

Kirndoul rolled his eyes and then glared at the squirrel.

"Maybe I did, or maybe I will. That would depend upon your cooperation. Now, are you a

good fighter?"

Not wishing harm to come to his friends, the squirrel answered with a shrug.

"I'm good enough."

The wildcat nodded.

"My soldiers say that the only reason you were able to be captured was through taking

your friend captive."

Cearul shrugged and was about to say how such an act was a dishonorable one on his

captors part, but thought against it. He didn't want another spell in the torture chamber,

for him or his friends. Cooperation seemed to be his only choice. So he quietly munched

on his apple as the cat continued.

"Now, I know you are well aware of the fact that I could just execute you at my liege, but I

have other plans. You see, there has been recent construction on my fortress..."

By slaves, no doubt... The squirrel thought darkly.

"...that has just been completed. It's an arena. Do you know what I intend to use that

arena for, Cearul?"

The squirrel could guess, but chose not to.

"Having a permanent circus?" He said sarcastically.

Kirndoul let out a laugh then shook his head.

"No squirrel, gladiatorial fights."

It was then that it stuck Cearul, hard, across the face. He stared down at his paws in

shock and then looked up. He'd heard of gladiators before...but becoming one? He just

couldn't wrap his head around that.

"You want me to..." His voice trailed off, somewhat in fear and somewhat in pure hatred.

The wildcat smiled an eerie, dark smile.

"Yes, Cearul, and I want you to represent me in the opening fight."

The squirrel responded instantly and without hesitation.

"No. I don't kill for pleasure."

The smile on Kirndoul's face widened sadistically.

"Oh I think you will." The cat leaned forward obviously relishing the pained expression on

Cearul's face. "You see, if you don't, I'll torture you to death. But the pain will be nothing

like that which you have already suffered. It will be ten times worse."

The squirrel bit his lip at the thought of such agony, but stubbornly shook his head.

"Do what you want...I won't fight in your arena."

"You're a brave little creature, Cearul." The cat Lord hissed, coating his ever growing

admiration. "You might be able to face such torment, but what about your friends? Do you

think that they could?"

Cearul growled and had to suppress himself from launching at the wildcat.

"You wouldn't..."

"I would and shall as I have said before!" Kirndoul smirked. "You are under my mercy and

command, squirrel. You do as I say or you and your friends get hurt, understand?"

Cearul snarled and shook in sheer rage. The wildcat was mocking him! And he couldn't

do a thing about it!

The cat leaned forward, articulating each word. "Do you understand? Or do I have to

make Vurshal pay your friends a visit? Eh?"

"How do I know they're not dead yet?" The squirrel demanded. "How do I know that they

haven't been tortured to death already?"

Kirndoul sat back and sighed.

"You think I'm playing you false?" He said in a rather annoyed voice. "Fine. Captain

Ferros!"

The same orange wildcat that had held Cearul earlier entered the door and bowed.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Take Cearul here back to his cell." Kirndoul grunted. "Along the way, pay a visit to his

friends' cell. He wants proof they're alive." The cat turned towards his captive, his eyes

glinting victory. "I'll meet with you later."

Serian sat dozing in the corner of his cell. Quad was already asleep, curled by the

opposite wall. He felt a twang of pity as he watched his friend sleep. He had always been

a weak creature, even in mouse standards. He recalled how the little mouse had fought

so valiantly when they were ambushed, yet he was too weak to even have a chance. The

wildcats had scooped him up and used him as a hostage to get Cearul and himself to

surrender. And then the squirrel had been tortured mercilessly, leaving Quad filled with

guilt as the screams echoed the halls.

Heaving a sigh, the squirrel hoped that his squirrel friend was still alive. After that last

painful scream weeks ago, they had no way of knowing. Sure there were other screams,

but none of them sounded like the squirrel's voice. He kept telling himself that Cearul was

a strong beast, at least, stronger than most. He was ok. Maybe he had escaped and was

finding a way to free them! Maybe he...

Suddenly the door opened and Serian's head snapped up, catching the glint of red fur in

the darkness of the dungeon light.

"Cearul!" He shouted, jumping up and enclosing his squirrel friend in a warm, worried

hug, despite the chains he wore.

Cearul returned the embrace with grateful and happy tears on his cheeks. They were still

alive! Kirndoul hadn't killed them!

"Serian..."He sobbed lightly under his breath. "Serian, I thought they had killed you."

The squirrel stepped back and smiled.

"Nope, we've just been rotting here..." He looked his friend up and down and then his

face suddenly paled. "What's this? Your chest and arms Cearul? What did they do to

you?"

Cearul frowned and then turned towards Quad, who was now sitting up in confusion after

being awakened by the sound of voices.

"Don't worry about it. Just be glad I'm alive." The squirrel smiled as the mouse scrambled

to his paws and embraced him.

"Crows Cear, we thought they killed ya!"

"Nearly did, mate" Cearul replied as the mouse stepped away. "Are you both ok..they

haven't..hurt you have they?"

Quad smiled. Only he could reply with a smile to a question like that.

"Naw, just pushed us around a bit...but you...you're a sight for sore eyes! What did they

do?"

"Had fun." The squirrel said grimly.

Serian let a curse escape his lips, while Quad spat fire.

"If I ever get out of here I'll hunt the damned beast that did that to you do and kill him,

slow like!"

Cearul was about to say something when a paw gripped his shoulder firmly. He looked up

to see the orange fur of a wildcat. Surely he didn't have to go now?

"Come squirrel." Ferros hissed quietly, pulling Cearul back. "Your time is up."

Quad bared his teeth at the wildcat in anger. Had he not been chained to the wall, he

would have attacked the larger creature fearlessly, regardless to size.

"You treat him right or I'll make it my life mission to hunt you down!"

Ferros sneered as he pulled Cearul from the cell and slammed the door, causing Quad to

fall back on his rump and glare up through the grating in the door.

"Don't aggravate me mouse." The Captain warned. "Some Beast could get hurt."

With that Cearul was pushed roughly through halls and into the deepest part dungeon.

His cell was opened and he was flung unceremoniously back into it, hitting his head on

the wall. The wildcat picked him up and pressed him against the wall by the neck as he

reach for the chains. The squirrel winced as tight manacles were re-cuffed onto his

wrists, followed by the door being slamming, shut and locked.


	4. Chapter 4:The start of the finish

Me again (how many times do I say this?) with yet another update! I really rushed this chapter and the next couple that follow. I'll fix those up and sort out other chapters before going to 16 then 17. For 18 I have big plans! Here is revised five!

They had come early in the morning. They had quite literally thrown him out of the looming fortress so he could complete his task. As he stood up and brushed himself off, he looked back towards the fortress. To the untrained eye, it looked placid, almost innocent, however Cearul knew well enough what went on inside of it. Even a glance towards it brought on painful memories. You have to stay strong he told himself, you must stay determined if you want to save your frie- don't even think about it. I know what I must do and I will do it. He started his long walk eastwards, towards his eventual destination and while it hurt him to steal, let alone from some helpless woodlanders, he knew he had to. He had let his emotions cloud his thoughts before, he had to ensure that that wasn't the case anymore. He looked at the plain blue tunic that he was given. It was made out of rough, thick fibers. He was sure that it would keep him warm throughout the cold night, but what he was most thankful for was the fact that it covered all of his scars perfectly.

Although he felt under-armed, he knew that he had to carry on, regardless of his situation. He would have to ask for directions, he would have preferred to avoid contact with anyone. The trail that he walked on was clearly used a lot, the dirt packed down until there was a clearly visible path, he wondered if he even set out in the right direction. He put those thoughts aside and remembered lessons a while back that taught him how to find directions. The position of the sun shows the four general directions. Right now the sun is still rising so whichever direction the sun is at is where I should go. No doubt, the sun was directly in front of him. He continued his everlasting walk eastwards.

On the path, he noticed some very peculiar things, the ground had a sizeable amount of blood all over it. He couldn't see any bodies but he knew that there had been a fight here a while ago. He yearned for any weapon now, as he felt very exposed, very vulnerable. He saw a small knife lying on the ground not too far from him and he quickly snatched it up. Now armed, he was more confident and set out again. During the long walk, he had memories of him and his friends when they were young. Everything about the forest brought back a huge wave of memories, everything from the pines to the clear streams that streaked through the forest. The forest brought back one memory in particular.

He was much younger at the time, he wasn't even considered an adolescent yet. At this point, he hadn't even met his best friends yet. It had been mid-summer. The sun cast a blistering heat overhead and the shade offered the best protection. Cearul decided to escape the heat by walking around in the forest. That day had been very stressful for him, as the temperature flared, so did tempers and conflicts broke out frequently. He had been caught in a particularly bad fight, leaving him bruised, although he had put up a startlingly good fight. Becoming bored, he decided to climb up the nearest tree naturally, as a squirrel, the task was almost as simple as running. He bounded effortlessly among the slender limbs of the pine tree, almost feeling like he was flying. He reached the branch he wanted to go to. From there he had an unmistakably good view of the smaller, shorter trees around him. His young age provided him with a drive, a drive for curiosity and adventure. He decided to climb even higher on the pine. A professional climber would consider it a challenge, a good climber would think hard about even attempting that. It seemed that any living being that was sober would think of it as an invitation to the underworld, but for Cearul it provided a fun challenge, something only curiosity could do. As he went further up, the limbs bent more, straining to keep up his weight. As he approached the top, he looked outwards, he could see practically anything! He could see the glimmer of light bouncing off of the wavy surface of a lake, he could see clouds in many shapes moving at the mercy of the wind. He also saw a red-tailed hawk diving downwards at its prey. He could see anything his heart desired to see, even the biggest mountains looked like small hills. The emerald fields seemed to radiate of- CRACK! The branch that he was on broke, sending him tumbling downwards at a bone-shattering speed. He only got stopped by his cloak getting caught on branches to the point where his descent stopped, but this proved a curse to him, for every second he hung there, the cloak strangled him. He dare not move, knowing that the branch could break. He desperately tried to haul himself up, to no avail as all of his strength was sapped away by the lack of air. His vision started to blur, his limbs started to feel numb, he couldn't move. The last thing he could see was a red blur before he lost consciousness. As he woke, he felt as though he had a huge weight set upon his head and his chest. He struggled to fight the forces holding him back and he tried to sit up. He felt a gentle push at his back, helping him sit. He looked around until he saw a squirrel with red fur and a dark-green cloak sitting close to him. The squirrel had a worried look upon his face, although it slowly changed into a look of relief. As the squirrel spoke, he gently eased Cearul backwards, until he was lying down again. "Glad to see that you're up again! You were in a pretty bad situation when I first got to you! I was afraid that I came too late" Cearul graciously replied "If you were too late, then I'd doubt that we would be talking now. Thank you, for if you didn't come, I'd be dead long ago" He saw the squirrel laugh playfully "Funny story how I came upon you! Was minding my own business when I hear a mighty crack above me and a huge branch drops right onto my head" At this he pointed towards a gash on his forehead "Anyways I looked up and there you were, hanging by a mere thread! I managed to cut the clasp of your cloak and you fell downwards. You know the rest" Cearul smiled warmly, opening up "You should get that gash tended to, could get infected and that only brings trouble" The other squirrel shrugged and replied "It alright, see me dad's a medic, I'll just let him patch it up for me" Cearul nodded, it seemed logical. He yearned for more conversations, as his life was mostly solitary "Your dad's a medic? My dad also happens to be in the army too, he's a scout" "Finally someone I can relate to! Also my dad is strictly against violence" Cearul chuckled a bit "I consider you lucky! My father is always trying to draft me into the army, he says it has many opportunities. Also I'm Cearul by the way! Glad to meet you!" The other squirrel smiled warmly back and replied "Nice to meet you Cearul, I'm Sirian!"

Cearul had tried to get rid of such memories, as they always slow him down. He had grown relatively thirsty and he was starving, however thoughts of his friends starving prevented him from stopping his travels. Suddenly something caught his attention, he heard a very quiet whistle from in front of him. He slowly crept forwards, making sure that he didn't produce any unwanted noise. He also drew his knife, holding it securely. As he travelled forwards, he whitling grew louder, it was a simple, happy tune. There was a brief pause, then the tune continued. As he crept forwards, he saw a figure sitting on a stump scribbling something onto a small parchment. He looked around a bit before scribbling more. The other squirrel wore a plain white tunic and had a bow slung over his shoulder. As he slowly crept forwards, the other squirrel continued scribbling something. As Cearul crept closer, he turned around to see if they were alone, when he turned back, the squirrel faced him, bow drawn. Cearul froze, his mind still processing what was going on. The other squirrel spoke "You are aware that I don't have to look at you to know that you are coming right? I will make this short, what were you doing?" "I was walking and minding my own business. You have no right to threaten me" The other squirrel chuckled a little "Yes you decided to take a walk, quite far from any settlement, almost a day's travel. Also you are armed, you clearly had violent intentions. I also have a right to defend myself and if it comes to it, I can and will. Fortunately for you, I have better things to do than waste a couple of arrows" With that he strolled away. Frustrated at his inability to protect himself, Cearul stormed off. He knew he should have at least asked for directions, but he wasn't really in the mood to chat. As he continued his lengthy journey, he thought about how much time he had left. He had no idea about where this abbey was, he had no idea where he was either.

He was worried that time just might run out for him. He saw something move in the dense treeline. He turned towards it just as a figure walked out of it. It was the same squirrel as before, although he did seem happier than before. Both of their eyes met at the same time, both stared straight at each other. The other squirrel spoke "Were you following me? What are earth do you think you are doing here?" "I was just walking down this path, I never knew that I would run into you" "I'll take your word on it but don't let me see you again" As he turned to walk away, Cearul shouted "Wait don't go!" The other squirrel turned around and asked "What is it? I have better things to do than waste time" "I was wondering if you knew where we are. Also I want to know if you know where Redwall abbey is" The other squirrel seemed to hesitate before he pulled out a small square parchment. He carefully unfolded it and motioned Cearul to come closer. The parchment was actually a map, but Cearul had never see. A map so large or detailed before. The other squirrel pointed to something on the map "We are around here, Redwall abbey is about here" He pointed to a small dot on the map. "How far is it?" "About another day's walk from here" Cearul's eyes drifted towards where he came from. Instead of seeing the dreaded fortress, the map ended just before it got there, small letters lined the edges UNKNOWN. Cearul thanked the other squirrel and began his walk, knowing that he was going the right way. The other squirrel stopped him "I happen to be traveling there too, do you mind if we stick together?" "You could tag along" The two now traveled together. They didn't talk much but they each found comfort that they weren't alone. Cearul had been going through a significant change, all of his hardships had begun to take their toll on him. All of his sorrow began to change into rage, he had to find a way to let it out. The other squirrel, who had clearly noticed this asked "Are you alright? You seem very worked up" "No I'm not bloody alright! Do you have any idea of the hell that I've been through today? Of course you don't! All you can do is aim that now around and make maps! And here you are asking me if I'm alright!" The other squirrel seemed quite startled "Goodness, I have no idea where this anger is coming from, but I know that you should calm down" As he said this, Cearul roughly pushed him "You are telling me to calm down? After what I just went through, how dare to tell me to calm down! On you map there is the ending that read 'unknown' you wouldn't want to know what lies there! All you can do is be useless!" "I'm truly sorry for what you had to go through but clearly this isn't the way to rel- wait, you've been in that castle before? You came out of it alive?" "Yes, do you have any idea what goes on in there, the hell that life is in there?" Both of them were silent now.

Wow this was a little challenging for me, I still managed to pull through it though! Next couple of chapters need some attention. Then comes the actual chapter 16 and onwards! (Don't know if FF tell people of updated chapters. Just a guess from me)


	5. Chapter 5: A sticky situation

**HELLO READERS! NEW CHAPTER, ADDED MY OWN TOUCH TO IT. READ AND/OR REVIEW AND ENJOY**

As Cearul got up, he paused for a second, thinking _I'm free, I'M FREE!_ Of course the wildcats anticipated then and decided to pelt him with stones. A few of them hit hit, one making his nose bleed. Cearul took no notice of this and he casually walked away, as he didn't want to give the wildcats something to laugh at. Instead he yelled "That the best you can do scumbags?" He regretted that almost instantly as a hail of arrows descended upon him. Cearul trudged through the woods heading south, wondering how he would complete the task ahead.

The sun was now setting and he figured he had come a long way. However, he didn't stop. He couldn't take the chance. This mission he was going to get over and done with. Serian

and Quad were depending on him, and he wouldn't let them down like so many had done

to him. If it took no rest, starvation and endless trekking to guarantee their safety, then he

didn't mind.

The squirrel glared at the setting sun and then reflected Kirndoul's instructions grimly.

Then he snapped his teeth, willing the glowing orb to go back up into the sky and give him more time. This was his first full day out of the twelve he had been given, and already he felt as though he was losing ground. He wouldn't give up. Deciding that tramping through the night would save him a lot of worry, he focused on his pawsteps.

"Damn cat's made me his bloody slave." He snorted angrily to himself, kicking a stone as

his patience drained. "All this for a damn piece of metal! The stupid idiot must be insane, sending me off like this for..."

"GET IM!" Cearul was completely taken off guard as three stoats, two foxes and a weasel leaped of of the forest. They roughly beat him to the ground, tied his paws with thick rope. The weasel bent down until his face was a mere inch away from Cearul's. His voice was sleek and quiet "Hello there, my name is Severlimb but just call me Sev" Cearul growled "I'll call you 'Scumbag' as that's what you are" Sev obviously didn't like being insulted so he punched Cearul straight in the gut and muttered "Show some respect to you new masters, slave"

Then it hit Cearul, they were _slavers_.

After a long march, with the vermin constantly jabbing him with spears, they reached their camp. It had a large iron cage and inside it were many woodlanders that were unfortunate enough to be caught. The roughly shoved him in the cage and locked the door.

After the sun set, Cearul woke up to a commotion, there was a squirrel talking to Sev…

Gale the squirrel was unusual, he always was. He had light brown fur and he wore a white tunic. He was a skilled warrior and a master of disguise but he had a habit of getting into very bad situations. Gale was merely seeking shelter for the night, as all travellers do, then he walked straight into a bunch of slavers.

Gale had just walked straight into the camp when he noticed where he actually was. This is _BAD_ he thought. Gale, being a master of disguise, remained calm and simply approached the slavers. "Hello there, I was wondering if you guys would be kind enough to give me some shelter for tonight?" The slavers seemed confused for a second after all, a squirrel had just walked up to them and acted as though they were a bunch of friends. Sev stood up and said "Welcome to our… humble camp, we are a bunch of actors rehearsing for an...act at… er … Redwall, we're just a bunch of actors" Gale just stood there for a second before putting a smile on his face and said "Great to know, it was late and I saw your fire. Perhaps I could just sleep here for one night, although I am wondering, what's your name?" For a moment, Sev was drawing out a small dagger out from his hidden sheath behind his back, after the squirrel was finished talking he stopped, and stared in disbelief. Sev was thinking _Is this squirrel really as stupid as he seems?_. " I'm Sev, pleasure to meet you and your name is…?" "Gale" the squirrel replied "Gale Redblade, may I see your...rehearsal?" Sev was doubled over with laughter on the inside, this capture would be so easy, unlike the rest. "You dumb idiot!" said one of the moles who were in the cage "This weasels' a slaver, he'll enslave you!" Sev spun around and said "You see, that mole is one of our... best actors, he's still in his part. Have I mentioned that our act would be a… re-enactment of slavers that were... defeated before? Anyways, you are most welcome to sleep, here, you can sleep in my very own tent, I'll get a spare" Gale seemed appreciative "I feel thankful for you generous offer, I'll go on and sleep now, if you don't mind"

Cearul, who had been listening to the conversation now, was utterly bewildered. How on earth does this squirrel not see what's happening right now? He put those thoughts aside and worked on chewing away the tight bonds that were wrapped around his paws. He eyed a sword that was close enough to the cage that he could grab it and then... He thought hard about what he could do, even if he got the sword, he was in a cage. Finally he had a plan and it just might work.

After Gale fell asleep, Sev went into the tent and made sure the squirrel was actually asleep. When he confirmed it, he was filled with thoughts on how he could enslave the squ… Then it hit him, a beast so incompetent would be bad for business, a terrible slave. He had an even better plan, he would torture that squirrel to death. He met with his comrades and announced quietly "On the count of three, we burst into that tent and kill that squirrel, _slowly." _Everyone understand?" There were many nods and Sev calmly began the countdown "One, Two…"


	6. Chapter 6:The trick

HELLO READERS, I'VE HOPED THAT YOU NOTICED THAT EACH CHAPTER IS SHORTER THEM THE LAST, THIS IS DUE TO SOME EXAMS I HAVE. Seriously, after that chapters will be much longer. RATE AND REVIEW

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"Three" A voice said. Sev stood there and was wondering, WHO just said that. He shouted "Reveal yourself, coward!" An arrow hit him in the leg right after he said that. Sev screamed "ARRRRRRG! YOU FOOL, YOU REVEALED YOURSELF!." He looked to his bewildered comrades "HE IN THAT BUSH OVER THERE!" He pointed to a small bush that was a few meters away from him. The two foxes leaped into the bush and immediately there were two agonising screams. "Steelhide, Beastslayer are you guys ok?" The three stoats all looked at Sev for his commands. Sev screamed "IDIOTS, GO AND FOLLOW THEM!" The three stoats looked as if though they were asked to fly to the moon "DO IT!" Sev ordered. The three stoats all walked cautiously towards the bush, they all charged straight into it thinking that the one squirrel would easily be defeated, armed or not. As soon as they charged into the bush they were confused, there was nobody in the bush, not even the two foxes. The voice said again "You fools won't find them there"

All three stoats ran away from the bush, straight back to Sev. Sev said "Did you fool get him?" when he saw them shake their heads he bellowed "IT'S JUST ONE ARCHER, THERE ARE THREE OF YOU!" The biggest stoat said "B-B-B-But there was a voice sir, it told us that we won't find them" "YOU CRAZY STOATS ARE ALL DELUSIONAL, HOW CAN THERE BE A VOICE IF YOU CAN'T SEE WHO WAS TALKING!" Shouted Sev "They weren't delusional, there was a voice" said the mysterious voice, who was behind them . Sev was on the verge of a mental breakdown, he shouted "A beast who talks so much, yet does so little should real…" He saw Gale, standing about five meters away, holding a drawn bow. "So there you are you little tree-rat, have you noticed that I have THREE comrades, yet there is only ONE of you?" Gale, the squirrel replied "I killed those two foxes without any effort needed, those three stoats shouldn't be a problem, in fact I can assure you that they won't be a problem, just look around you" Sev spun around expecting to find three stoats ready to charge into battle, he saw three stoats, all with arrows in their chests "How on earth did yo…"

He paused as he felt a sharp point, a sword, at his neck "Bravo, you gave me just the opportunity I needed" Gale mused, Sev replied "You coward, you would only fight when I have my back turned" Gale calmly said "Turn around then, then we'll fight" Sev smirked and said "How do you expect me to fight without a weapon, how bout you drop that sword and bow and then we fight paw to paw?" Gale, however merely seemed amused and said "Why, so then you can stab me with your three 'hidden' daggers?" Sev anticipated this however, and he replied "Well, better late than never" He drew his two, long, daggers and lunged away from his attacker and immediately spun around. Facing his opponent, he took two deep breaths and prepared himself. Although Sev was a lean beast, he was a deceptively good fighter. Gale, however was raised up from a family of warriors. As the sun began to rise, the two warriors clashed...

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THE END (Of this chapter at least) Spoiler alert: Next chapter will include more about Sev and Gale's past (yea sev is a major character) Also Cearul... hes still here :)


	7. Chapter 7:The Past

Now before I get to the fight (I'll make it good, I swear) THIS IS A BACKSTORY FOR SEV AND GALE (Sev is based off one of my friends, you know who you are) Gale is based off of… well, you don't need to know that. I'll give a basic past of both characters and then start the fight… As always, RATE AND REVIEW :) Tally ho, chaps!

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_**GALE**_

"GALE! Come on, we don't have much time left" Gale hurried to get up shouting "Just go Malcom! You have what we came for anyways" As they crept down the hallway, they took a brief respite. Both squirrels had red bandannas, symbols of their allegiance. Gale was much younger at this time. Every one of his features was well defined. Gale was smaller than others, although that made him nimble. Gale was a master archer, outclassing even those who taught him, he also was extremely observant. Malcom was a larger version of Gale, being brothers, they shared a lot of traits but sheer strength was where the similarities ended. Malcom acted on the fly, no planning no thinking. Gale was far more tactical, he knew what he would do before he did them. Gale said "I told you, leaving our forces was a big mistake, the enemy have surrounded us,yet you expect us to be fine" Malcom, catching his breath replied "Look Gale, our intelligence reported a gap in their defence, I exploited that opportunity to get _this_" in his paw was a golden sword and an assortment of battle plans.

Gale said, annoyingly "Have you already forgotten what happened last time we tried that?We were captured" Malcom replied "If it was such a bad plan, then why did you follow me, should've left me to my fate" Gale said sternly "Yea, and leave you _alone_, you'd get yourself killed" Malcom ducked just as an arrow soared past his head, Gale stood up and fired back, missing the mole who rolled away. Gale shouted, "I'll hold them for as long as I can, you run as fast as you can towards our base" Malcom stood firmly at his side and said "You know I ain't gonna do that ...brother" As they held their ground, twelve enemies surrounded them. Gale looked at Malcom and said "Now look what you got us into, what's the grand plan now genius?" Malcom said "My plan looked much better in my head" As they appeared to start fighting, a long, shrill whistle blasted all of their eardrums. All of the enemies surrounding then relaxed and started to head towards a large wooden building. A badger walked towards Gale and Malcom and said "Nice battle plan Malcom, only you didn't really think it through, day's almost over, head over to the barracks. REMEMBER tomorrow's the final evaluation.

Gale and Malcom walked over the the barracks and started to clean all of their equipment. Malcom said "Look, we could have won that game of capture the flag, we were so close" Gale, who was still sore from defeat muttered "Yea well in _real _combat, 'so close' equals death" Malcom grinned and replied "Well look, we have strategy, planning and wits. We will easily become commandos" Gale laughed and said "Yea right, do you know what it actually takes to be a commando? We'll be lucky enough to be front-line infantry" Malcom said to him "And that's the reason why the enemy will call us the 'dynamic duo'" Gale looked into his eyes and said "Oh, really, I though the enemy called us 'losers' all of the time" Malcom grinned and said "Well good luck on the evaluation then, good night" After that they both went to sleep

Gale got up from bed and washed his face with ice-cold water, it helped him with his nightmares. Every night he would have that same vision, about that last conversation with his best friend friend, no brother, before they were assigned to different units. Gale became a commando, Malcom was a regular and Malcom was killed in combat shortly after graduating. The island that they grew up on was plagued with war since the first beasts came and settled down, their numbers were small and their island was rich in resources. Of course, that meant occasionally being raided, plundered and occupied. That violent history shape what the island became today. The islanders could not surrender, that would be a guaranteed death, the couldn't negotiate, the enemy had always killed the had one option left, fight. They couldn't have _more_ soldiers so they had _better_ soldiers. One warrior could easily take on ten adversaries, and that was a _regular_. This meant that they had to go through a vigorous trail before they were sent out to fight. Each soldier learned everything they needed to know to survive, swordfighting, CQC, improvised weapons, EVERYTHING. All nations that challenged the island where slaughtered, all armies who tried to pillage were pillaged, after they were slaughtered. There was one thing that the islanders lacked, maps. They owned the seas around them but further than that, they dare not wander, save for Gale Redblade, whose goal was to map the world. That lead him to Mossflower region.

_**Sev**_

"Hey freak, why don't you come over here and fight me?" That came from Vik, the wolf who would always bully others. Where he grew up, Sev had to deal with bullies, it was the way of life. Sev was lean, he was weaker than most hoardbeasts, something that guaranteed death when you were a vermin. Sev was different from most hoardbeasts, he could think. That might not sound like much but it was all Sev needed to conquer all. Sev replied "Do you really think I would start a fight with you, if I kill you, the hoard will kill me and you know that" Vik laughed hard "You little runt, do you actually believe that you could kill _me_, the hoard's future leader" Sev though _fight him, don't kill just defeat him_ Sev replied "I would love to fight you, and tear your throat out so I don't have to listen to your babbling" Vik lost his temper and charged at Sev with his mighty club, Sev had a mere rapier, he focused on quick, agile strikes in contrast to Vik's heavy, powerful blows.

As Vik charged forward, Sev sidestepped and jabbed at Vik's arms. His intentions were clear, annoy Vik in hopes of him surrendering. Vik, after five missed swings decided that rushing at full speed would yield a victory, Sev acted on instinct, finding the Vik ran straight through his blade. What happened after than was a blur of events, Vik's father, the leader of the hoard decided to end Sev's life slowly _and_ painfully. Sev was tortured to the point where his vision was blurred and he could barely move. They whipped him then they tied him to a tree, they left him for death. Sev almost died, _almost_ if a wandering bunch of vermin hadn't decided to show mercy upon the poor weasel. A pack of wolves were wandering around when they saw the bloodied weasel tried to a tree, the leader decide to save the unfortunate soul and nurse him back to health. The weasel proved to be stubborn and refused to die from blood loss. Sev fit in perfectly among the wolves, there is where he learned about friendship. Sev had been lonely all through his life, all of his old 'friends' only wanted to be around him for rewards, the wolves taught him how to fight in a pack. They taught him the meaning of teamwork, covering each other's weaknesses, that is, until they wandered too far into a warlord's territory. Sev just managed to escape with his life, everyone else died.

Sev preferred to live a peaceful life, however peace always ended up in conflict. He resorted to the easiest way to make a living, becoming a slaver. He stole freedom from random beasts to provide himself with a sustainable job. He met up with other slavers, slave buyers and other shady folk. He put his experience to use, for better or for worse. He never enjoyed what he did, he had no other choice. His adventures took him north, into a region called Mossflower…

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That's not all, Cearul's backstory is slowly forming, should be done soon. Sorry for really short and crappy chapters, you know exams, life and all that stuff. Never mentioned this before but, english is my third language. Next chapter is the fight. I have no idea on how to include Cearul's backstory, maybe a dream, hmmm...


	8. Chapter 8: Mercy, Pity and Honor

Now, you all know now that english is not my first language, so mistakes are common. This is what many, if not all, of you loyal readers waiting for, the fight! BUT there is some more info a favor, please take some time and review this story, thx to Lord Ashenwyte, who was kind enough to do so. Perhaps…(I have an idea, as I clearly don't have any good names, I will name the current abbot of redwall after Lord Ashenwyte) If there are more than ten good reviews by the time the next chapter is posted, I will randomly pick a person and name a character in his/her honor :) Now for the fight, in one corner we have Sev, skilled fighter, homegrown killer and amazingly nimble swordfighter. His weapon of choice, a rapier, custom made in hardened steel and balanced to perfection. In the other corner, we have Gale, skilled archer, master of disguise, trained to kill since birth. Weapon of choice, bow and arrows and throwing knives. Who will win? Read on my friend.

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As the sun rose, the two fighters circled each other. After a brief pause, Gale fired an arrow, straying an inch from Sev's face. Gale was merely seeing how Sev would react, Sev however clearly knew his strengths. Gale had the advantage from a distance, Sev knew that if he got close enough, Gale's one advantage would be useless. Sev closed in on his opponent, strafing as Gale loosed off another arrow. He attempted to stab Gale in the chest multiple times. Gale knew that he would be killed if he couldn't get Sev away from him, he would die. He drew a dagger and threw it, it missed. Sev slowly gained the upper hand in melee combat, as Gale focused on ranged combat. Sev managed to stabbed Gale five times around his body, making it easier to stab him later.

Gale decided that the only way that he could create a distance between him and Sev was to fight harder in hopes of making Sev back off. Gale Gale loaded three arrows into his bow and fired all three arrows at the Sev at once. He then spun around, throwing two knives at Sev, one clipping his sword arm. Sev winced and glared at his wound, thankfully it just made a small cut, hardly hampering his performance. Gale saw an opportunity, loaded five arrows into his bow and fired them in a tight spread, Sev _just_ managed to dodge this deadly volley. Sev saw that Gale was loading another arrow, he quickly charged forward and cut the bowstring, rendering Gale's weapon useless.

Gale, knowing that he had an extra bowstring, had to create a diversion for around ten seconds. He pulled out a concealed smokebomb and used it. Sev, never encountering such a weapon, was blinded slashing randomly and not providing any useful result. Gale had already changed the bowstring, loaded an arrow and had the weasel in his sight. As Sev spun around, searching for Gale, he saw Gale, aiming an arrow at his head. Sev smirked, threw his rapier to the ground in front of Gale and raised his paws, a gesture of surrender. Gale seemed surprised, although that only lasted one moment, he focused his aim on Sev's head and said "Can you give me one good reason now to shoot you right now?" Sev calmly replied "No, good fight though" Gale seemed thrown off by this comment, he said "How about you turn around right now and I'll decide about what I will do to you?" Sev did what he was told and stood, calmly accepting his fate. Gale asked "Do you have any last words? If not then be comforted in knowing I will deliver a quick death" Sev glanced over his shoulder and said "What was that device that created all of that smoke? I have never encountered such a device" Gale got even more surprised and replied "It's made from chalk dust, once it hits the ground, the wind makes an artificial cloud, blinding everyone" Sev nodded and said "Well it seems that that one tool you had won the battle for you"

Gale, who always fought against the odds didn't like having an unfair advantage over his adversary. He bent down, picked up Sev's rapier and threw it at him, it landed right in front of Sev and he stood confused. Sev asked "What are you planning?" Gale said "You deserve a second chance, I had an advantage over you. Pick up your rapier and we will finish what we started" Now Sev was the one who was confused, the squirrel actually wanted a challenge. He bent down and picked up his rapier and with renewed strength, lunged at Gale who was hit and knocked off balance. The two warriors fought as hard as they both could, it was clear however, that Sev had an edge. Sev pounded the squirrel mercilessly with his fists and kicked him every time he struggled. Sev now stood up and looked at his opponent, the squirrel's face was covered in blood and bruises and he stopped struggling, the squirrel took long, labored breaths. Sev didn't come out unscathed though, his nose was bleeding and he had many minor bruises. Sev lowered his rapier until the deadly point was at the squirrel's neck. Gale rasped "Finish me, put me out of my misery" Sev continued to stare at the squirrel, he was sure that he would die from blood loss, something that almost happened to him. He said "Look, you are clearly going to bleed to death, whether you bleed out or your wounds get infected." Gale smirked and grimaced in pain, he whispered "Then why don't you kill me now, quickly and painlessly? Are you going to leave me to die painfully?"

Sev looked straight into the squirrel's eyes and said "No, when I was younger I nearly died the same way you are, until I was spared death. Now shut up and don't move" Gale looked on as the weasel bent down and cut off a small patch of fabric off of his cloak and used it to bandage the poor squirrel. Gale said "Why are you doing this? You had a clear chance to kill me" Sev looked at him and smirked, he replied "Well I thought you deserved a second chance, after all, you gave me one" Sev got up and went to retrieve Gale's arrows and bow and threw them to the ground in front of him. Gale said "Do you want to finish our duel or should we call it a draw?" Sev looked at him and replied "I think it would be fair to say that this… dispute is a draw" Sev bent down and helped the squirrel up. "I am planning on letting you go, although I th-" Before he could finish, a shout from the slave pen made both warriors turn towards it and see something that sent a shiver up their spines.

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Whew, another chapter banged out, 1115 words, 300 shorter than the last yet one of the longest so far. To all who think that I might've rushed the last chapter, you are right. I have exams coming up but they will end soon. How's the story so far, tell me in reviews, as mentioned at the start, you might get a special prize :) Also, I still remember Cearul, he's special to me, more on that next time. peace out (-)*


	9. Chapter 9:The Not So Great Escape

Hello dear readers, I am here to inform you that my exams are now over, leading to much better writing (typing in my case) I am not surprised to inform you that I received an insufficient number of reviews. I understand that this Fanfic might not be for everyone (I asked ten friends if they liked this, two said no) If there are any changes that you think will improve the quality of this Fanfic, by all means _review_ even if it is just a few words. Back to the story summary, yea, who knew that vermin (Sev) could show mercy? Are you wondering about the _thing_ that Sev and Gale saw? Well it will be revealed late in this chapter. The first half is for Cearul's POV, he has a great story to tell, you can trust me on that one. Anyways, I used Microsoft word 2013 for writing this fanfic _so far_. There are slight issues about the format, that's why the first few chapters are REALLY messed up. Might change to google docs. (God I really have a ton to say, eh?) Enjoy

Cearul had been watching the fight in awe, the way each warrior used his weapon, it seemed like an extra limb. That was the least of his concerns though, he had managed to gnaw through the tight bonds that restrained him. He eyed a sword lying around a little too closely to the cage, he just managed to grab hold of it. He felt a surge of power flow through him, he was a _threat_ to Sev, not a weak, helpless slave. He observed the cage, it was pure metal, save the hinges. Cearul knew what he had to do next, if not for the fight that was occurring. The squirrel had managed to win, and was about to shoot the weasel in the back of his head. Cearul heard the squirrel say something, yet the words weren't clear. He was shocked to see the squirrel throw back the weasel's sword. After that, the fight was at it's turning point, the weasel mercilessly pounded the poor squirrel, who now was in no condition to fight. The weasel now had a sword at the squirrel's neck. Cearul was now sure that the squirrel would pay for his foolishness. What he saw almost put him into complete shock, the weasel was helping the squirrel who he was inclined to kill moments ago. He saw the weasel help the poor fellow up and they both seemed surprised at the other. Before Cearul could guess why either of them did what they did, there was a scream from the back of the cage. Cearul whipped around to find a dozen lizards surrounding the cage.

Gale, who was dying on the ground thought, _Look what happened to you now, you fool. That fellow you just helped is gonna kill you._ Sev had similar thoughts _Am I really going through with this? This squirrel just spared my life a moment ago, now I am going to kill him_. Sev calmed himself down and lowered the point of his rapier until it was at the poor squirrel's throat. _One quick jab, he won't even feel a thing. No shame in that, he spared my life and I spare him a painful death_. Then he noticed something, the squirrel had squeezed his eyes shut, as if he was preparing himself for death, then he saw that the squirrel was actually trying to block out the pain he was going through. For a moment, the squirrel opened his eyes, looked into his eyes and said "Finish me, put me out of my misery" Then it hit Sev, _This squirrel is feeling pain, pain I caused, pain I was in before._ He looked closely at his opponent now, he observed the wounds that the squirrel had, his face was badly bruised and bloodied, he was stabbed in many places and he tooks hard breaths. Sev thought of himself when he was young, almost tortured to death. What this squirrel was going through now must be just as bad. Sev calmly said "Look, you are clearly going to bleed to death, whether you bleed out or your wounds get infected." He thought about what he was going to do, should he give the squirrel a quick death or should he help him live? The answer was clear to him, put the fellow out of his misery. He steadied himself and prepared to stab, _quickly in and out_. Then the squirrel smirked at him, then he grimaced in pain. The squirrel said to him "Then why don't you kill me now, quickly and painlessly? Are you going to leave me to die painfully?" This statement his Sev hard, he now decided to mercy upon this poor fellow and the wolves done to him before.

Gale, who was attempting to hide his emotion thought _This hurts bad, too many wounds, too much blood loss. There is no way that I am going to live._ He felt a sharp point at his throat, a sword. He thought again _Great, he'll spare me a painful death, it will be quick, seven seconds. That's how much time it would take for him to die, much quicker than bleeding to death. _Gale shifted over a little, so the tip of the blade was at his major arteries. The pain he was going through was unbearable, much worse than anything he felt before, he whispered "Finish me, put me out of my misery" He opened his eyes and was surprised to find that the weasel hadn't killed him yet. The weasel seemed to be thinking, maybe he would leave the squirrel to a painful death? The weasel said "Look, you are clearly going to bleed to death, whether you bleed out or your wounds get infected." The squirrel was filled with horror, the weasel will let him die _slowly_. He asked "Then why don't you kill me now, quickly and painlessly? Are you going to leave me to die painfully?" The weasel looked straight into his eyes and said "No, when I was younger I nearly died the same way you are, until I was spared death. Now shut up and don't move" Gale was astonished to find the weasel was bending down and cutting off long strips of fabric off of his cloak. He used them as bandages to stop the bleeding and used a nearby canteen to wash Gale's wounds. Gale asked "Why are you doing this? You had a clear chance to kill me" Sev looked at him and smirked, he replied "Well I thought you deserved a second chance, after all, you gave me one" Sev got up and went to retrieve Gale's arrows and bow and threw them to the ground in front of him. Gale said "Do you want to finish our duel or should we call it a draw?" Sev looked at him and replied "I think it would be fair to say that this… dispute is a draw" Sev bent down and helped the squirrel up. "I am planning on letting you go, although I th-"

Before he could finish, a shout from the slave pen made both warriors turn towards it. They saw a dozen green, gigantic lizards. Sev immediately turned to Gale and asked "How about a truce?" Gale nodded and retrieved his bow, however, he was far too weak to fire it. He was thinking about what he should do when he though _I still have a small amount of adrenaline, it should last for at least one minute_. His body had pumped a small burst of adrenaline into his bloodstream, a small dose. All of a sudden, all the pain went away, his mind cleared and he was energized. He loaded four arrows into his bow and fired them in a tight spread at the nearest lizard. They all bounced off harmlessly, only attracting the lizard's attention. Sev attempted to stab the lizard with his rapier, he had it made to penetrate armour, even the toughest plates would yield as though it was paper, and yet his rapier couldn't penetrate the tough scales. He looked to a last resort, he ran towards the lizard, attracting its attention and the lizard attempted to bite Sev, while it's neck was extended, he leaped upon it's back and leaped onto the slave pen. Gale, knowing that he was the only target that the lizards could hit, did exactly what Sev did. As he leaped onto the slave pen, he could feel the adrenaline wearing off. Sev suddenly noticed that the squirrel became weaker every moment. Gale was not out of tricks yet, he had two gas bombs that could knock out a pit viper for five minutes, there was also the risk of knocking himself out. He shouted to Sev "I am going to throw this gas bomb down, hold your breath and run as fast as you can" Sev shouted "Wait, look below us" They both saw a squirrel, Cearul stabbing the lizards through the bars of the cage.

Gale saw that the roof of the cage was made of a thin layer of wood, he managed to find a loose plank and effectively created a small hole in the roof. The gate however, was holding back the hungry lizards, for now. The hinges, poorly designed ones, would not be able to take the weight of a lizard for long. Sev and Gale managed to haul out a hedgehog and a squirrel, Cearul, before the door burst, Gale shouted "Everyone, hold your breaths for as long as you can and run south" He threw down the small ball and instantly, there was a small, green, cloud of gas. Gale, seeing this opportunity leaped down from the cage and bolted south. Sev, being blinded stumbled after Gale, knowing that he had to trust him. Cearul, who was only given brief instructions, followed closely. The hedgehog, was not quick enough to think about what the gas might be, collapsed immediately. The three ran away until the cloud of gas was hardly visible. Gale, who's adrenaline ran out fainted, Sev who was out of breath, gasped for air and Cearul, having breathed some of the fumes, fainted. As Gale woke up, the sun was just setting, Sev was awake, and sitting in front of a small campfire, Cearul still appeared to be unconscious. Gale approached Sev and said "Well that was exhilarating?" Sev, who wasn't aware that Gale was awake screamed and whipped around, drawing his rapier in doing so. Gale grinned and raised up his paws and said "Sorry to scare you, I was merely commenting on our ordeal" Sev, realising that there was no threat, sheathed his sword and asked "What was that device, you have, and where do you get them?" Gale replied "That was a thin, mesh shell filled container, filled with compressed air and filled with obnoxious substances" Sev, never hearing about such a device probed further "What do you mean 'compressed gasses' and how do they make it explode?" Gale, who was aware that technology that he had was more advanced, said "It's a different kind of air, it wants to expand, so when the container is breached…" Sev thought hard and guessed "The gas escapes?" Gale nodded and said "That's correct" Sev probed on asking "Where did you get those?" Gale said "From where I lived" Sev asked "Why did you leave?" Gale, who was aware of this weasel's true intentions, calmly stated "I had an objective, something that I dreamed of since I was born" Sev asked "Well, what is this… objective anyways?" Gale pulled a square piece of parchment out of his tunic and opened it up. Sev saw the most interesting thing he had ever seen, a map, he had heard rumors that maps existed, but never saw one before. He asked "What is that small red square, that little castle and why is the bottom of it still blank?" Gale, knowing how excited the weasel might be, replied "That square is where I live, that 'little castle' is my King's fortress, the bottom is blank because I am still expanding it" As the two discussed the legend, scale and various places, Cearul woke up.

Cearul, aware that he was in the presence of his slaver, decided that stabbing him was the best solution. He silently drew Sev's rapier and made the point hover around Sev's spine. Sev feeling the point asked "What is the meaning of this?" Gale turned and looked at the squirrel and said "Look, I know that you are mad, but violence is not the answer" Cearul pointed the rapier towards Gale now saying "If you decide to side with vermin, so be it" Gale raised his paws, gesturing that his intention were peaceful. Cearul aimed the rapier at Sev again and said "Now, I will kill you" As he drew the sword back, he noticed the squirrel had drawn an arrow and had it aimed at him. He stared at Gale and asked "Don't you remember yourself a few hours ago? This vermin tried to kill you" Gale said "Yes, tis true, however we agreed to make an alliance" Cearul paused for a moment and said "Well, the lizards are gone, that alliance is now over" Gale said "How about we rest for today? Tomorrow we go our separate ways" Cearul grimly agreed to this, however, he was not entirely secure sleeping close to a vermin and requested a knife from Gale. Gale, who wasn't surprised by this offered a small dagger and said "Me and this blade are almost the same age, made from strengthened steel, serrated edge for sawing, flint handle for igniting fires, this is my finest blade" Cearul, who was taken aback by this strange offering politely accepted this gift and slept with it in his paws. Gale was disappointed to part with that blade, however he rarely used it and decided that Cearul had more uses for it.

Two-thousand words, that's the length of this chapter. I will revise the first chapter and maybe the second. While I am disappointed that I had only one review so far, this is my first fanfic, hopefully not my last. To end on a high note, I plan to add a twist to my original plot.


	10. Chapter 10:Welcome to Redwall

Terribly sorry for the extreme delay, I have a post-exam brainfart. I'm sure many people have waited a long time for a new chapter.

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After a night of uncomfortable sleep, all three beasts woke up around the same time. After a great breakfast, the three were ready to depart. Gale asked "Where are you two going to go?" Cearul replied "Redwall abbey" Sev said "I'm going south" Gale was pleased, they all were going to travel to similar location for he decided he would travel south of Redwall for about twenty miles, then he would travel west. Gale announced "Glad to know, we can all take a trip as a group and then go our separate ways!" Sev and Cearul looked at each other. Obliviously, the 'bond' between them was far from strong. Gale, seeing this replied "How about we introduce ourselves?" Cearul was far from telling anybody where he had come from, for every time he did, his scars would ache. Sev, kept most personal information very closely, never sharing any secrets. Gale, however, was delighted to have company, he usually travelled for weeks alone. He said "Perhaps we could take a rest at Redwall? I heard the food there is great" Sev replied "Do you actually think that they would let me in?" Gale replied "Of course, once the see you good side, entering the abbey is as easy as walking in" Sev laughed and said "Sure, if they don't all shoot me on sight" Gale, aware that Sev and Cearul weren't in a mood to talk decided that starting their journey was the best idea.

As they walked, they heard frantic cries for help. The three warriors wheeled to the source of the sounds, all three drew their weapons. They could hear a muffled conversation and more cries for help. As the three ran straight through the treeline, they looked about for a sign of any creature when, across the water, he spotted a yelping and crying mousemaid. She wore a long green habit and, from what the squirrel could see, she was alone. When the maid looked up and saw him, she pleadingly pointed to the water. "Please!" Her voice was laced in panic. "My brother is in trouble! You have to help him! He can't swim!" Cearul looked to the water and caught site of a small mouse, clinging to a stone in the center of the stream for dear life. As he was thinking of a way to solve the problem, a flash of brown flew by him followed by a large splash. It was Sev. The squirrel watched as the weasel made his way swiftly through the water to the mouse's side. _Well, I suppose weasels can be useful after all..._The squirrel thought to himself. _So much for me helping_. He watched as the weasel reached and spoke calmly to the little beast, telling him to hang onto his back. The mouse shrieked in fear and refused. Sev roughly grabbed the crying mouse, throwing him onto his back and he began to swim back to shore.

Cearul watched as the weasel swim back, the squirrel thought he saw something

beneath the water surface. He stared, but after seeing no movement, he looked back to

the two beasts in the stream. It was then that the mousemaid screamed again, her voice

piercing the squirrel's eardrums so that he covered his ears and looked over at her with

an annoyed expression. She pointed into the water, cry at the top of her voice. "Pike! It's a pike! He'll eat my brother!" With that she broke down sobbing. Gale had already loaded two arrows and sent them into a pike, missing by a mere inch. As he loaded a huge volley, seven arrows, Cearul snapped his attention back to the water. There was indeed a pike, two in fact. Both large, swimming right towards the weasel and mouse. Sev was just about back to land, but the pike were fast. They'd reach them before they were safe. Cursing beneath his breath the squirrel looked instinctively about for a weapon. Unfortunately, the only thing he had was a small, but sharp knife. Plucking it from the sheath, he ran forward and plunged into the stream, forgetting completely that squirrel's weren't made for water. He swam between the pike and Sev, awaiting the offending fish with his knife. It was only a few seconds later when he caught sight of the

green, underwater bodies coming straight for him. Readying his himself for the creature,

he waited for the perfect time to strike.

Behind him the weasel and mouse cub were climbing back to dry ground when Sev

noticed what the squirrel had done. He spun about, catching sight of the squirrel with a

knife raised in his paw and calmly waiting for the two large pike. "Cearul!" Sev called from the shore beside the mousemaid. "Get out now!" The squirrel ignored the weasel, focusing on the green bodies coming steadily closer. He lifted the knife, counting under his breath. The first fish opened its mouth, revealing its sharp teeth. Just a little closer...perfect. He swung with all the force he could muster, lodging the knife in the pike's throat though its open mouth. Cearul latched onto the fish's flailing body and gave the knife a nasty twist. The pike splashed about, writhing in his arms so that the squirrel fell beneath the water. Still, he refused to let go until the fish's attempts to break free became futile and weary.

Knowing the fish would die eventually then, Cearul released the pike and made for the

surface. Just as he broke into the air, he felt something latch onto his shoulder, making him growl in pain as its teeth sunk into his flesh. It was the second pike. His body shivering in pain, the squirrel forgot himself. He gripped each of the strong jaws and pulled, roaring. The fish's grip loosened and Cearul ripped it from his shoulder, tossing it from him.

Blood leaked freely from his torn shoulder, but he knew the pike wasn't dead yet. He had

just enough time to see Gale fire off one volley heading straight for him. The volley's aim was true, each arrow pierced the pike. Cearul,who realized that he should get out of the water, swam back. He was met in the shallows by a worried Sev, blood ran down the squirrel's arm, dripping into the water. Sev was about to suggest that he wrap it up when the squirrel sent him a tired, cold look. Gale threw his bow over his shoulder and walked over to Cearul. "Lets get away before more come thinking I'm dinner." Cearul said gruffly, walking past the weasel.

Sev shrugged, shutting his mouth and then followed. Gale trailed behind them Cearul sat down by the packs he had dropped and opened them, ignoring the two mice sitting by. He found some medical dressing and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a few scars from his torture. The flesh was torn and ripped and Cearul quickly began wrapping his wounds with it. The white bandages were quickly stained with the squirrels blood. Sev watched quietly to see if the wounds were serious. Once he was sure that Cearul could care for himself, he sat down by the water and relaxed.

Gale walked over to the two mice and asked"Mind tellin' me just what ye were doing' out there sonny?" He asked the smaller of the two. "Catching pwetty stones, mister sir." The shivering mouse said, pulling the cloak Sev had given him closer. "Mama had a widdle brother the other day."

"We thank you for your help, mister" The mousemaid said. "I'm Mintflower and this is Dinkle. Our new little brother's name is Pebble, so Dinkle and I wanted to get him some

pretty pebbles from the stream. We wanted it to be a surprise. Dinkle found a really colorful stone, but he fell in getting it."

"Where are your parents?" Cearul suddenly asked. "You shouldn't be out here alone."

"Back at Redwall." Mintflower said."We wanted to surprise them too, so we left without

them." The squirrel mumbled something under his breath as Sev looked at the mice with

intrest. "Could ye take us to Redwall?" He asked in a friendly voice. "I mean, do ye know the way back?" "Yes mister weasel." Dinkle said, followed by a sneeze. The weasel chuckled. "My name's Sev, not 'mister weasel'." "Yes, we can take you." Mintflower said, standing up. "Then you can meet our little brother and Brother Rush can take care of your hurt friend."

"I don't need any help." Cearul protested quickly, standing and throwing his cloak over his wrapped wounds. Gale looked at him and said "Don't try and argue, you need help" He walked over to Cearul and began inspecting his wounds. There was a short silence before Sev picked Dinkle up in his paws and winked at the mousemaid. "I'm sure Cearul can care for himself, but thanks for the offer." He hefted his pack onto his shoulder, then looked to Mintflower. "Okay. I think we're ready, lead the way"

The walk wasn't a long one. Cearul walked beside them in silence. His wrapped wounds pounded, but he ignored them and focused on his steps. Every pawstep took him closer to his objective, closer to completing his task. He just wanted it over with. If he could get the sword that very night he would try. Nothing was more important than Serian and Quad's lives. Gale had thoughts on his mind too, seeing some of Cearul's scars had horrified him, yet he decided that it was none of his business. It was practically dark when they arrived at the most interesting structure the squirrel had seen. It may have been an abbey, but it looked like a small fortress. Built of red sandstone, it stood in a large...very large clearing with a bell tower reaching to the sky. Each stone looked as though it had been carefully and reverently carved out. Even though it looked well cared for, he could tell that the building was old. Probably around a few thousand seasons old.

Through the gloom in his mind, Cearul was impressed. At least, for a moment. Then he

got even more depressed as he realized that this was the home of the creatures he was

being forced to steal from. As they approached the gates a squirrel appeared over the wall. He shouted "Look you are all welcome at Redwall abbey, although the abbess would like to speak to your weasel friend" Gale took a quick glance towards Sev, who has clearly been discriminated many times before. An old mouse appeared over the red sandstone walls and said "Hello there, my name is abbess Ashenwyte, may you please tell me your names?" Gale bowed and said "Hello there, my name is Gale Redblade pleasure to meet you" No one said anything else, Gale stared at his companions, who were clearly not in the mood to talk. Gale said "This squirrel is Cearul, the weasel is Sev" The abbess put a look of surprise on her face and said "Your friends don't seem to be in a mood to talk. Please state your business here" Gale looked at his companions, Cearul stepped forward and said "I have come to seek peace" Sev then said "I came here to relax for a day or two" Gale said "I came, to map the region" The abbess smiled and said "Although Redwall is always open to travelers, we must request that you surrender all of your weapons before you are allowed to enter Redwall" Gale looked at the abbess and said "We agree to your terms, we will gladly surrender our arms" The gate of the abbey opened up and the three walked in. There was a squirrel in the end of the entrance, he said "Hello there, I'm Quinston, I'm here to retrieve all of your weapons before you are allowed to enter this abbey" Cearul walked up to him and put his dagger into his paws, he took another look at the knife, the craftsmanship was astonishing. Sev walked up and handed over his rapier, he greatly admired the weapon's deadliness. Gale looked at both his companions and said "I got a little more weapons than you two, go and wait for me" He turned to the squirrel and said "If you wish to carry all of my weapons, then I recommend you bring a barrel" The mole seemed confused at first, but then he left and brought back a barrel. Cearul and Sev walked into the abbey, they were both astonished by the stunning design, the walls were sleek and tall. The hallways were wide and long, the atmosphere of the place was happy.

As Cearul and Sev walked in, the abbess guided them into the dormitories and showed them their rooms. She then led them downstairs to meet up with Gale. They saw Gale walking into the abbey with a mole who had a barrel with him. The abbess said "Hello there, I was wondering why it took so long for you to meet up with us, Quinston, what on earth are you holding?" The squirrel, who was clearly struggling under the weight of the barrel, said "This barrel is full of this chap's weapons, he's got quite the collection" The abbess laughed and asked "Why on earth do you carry so much weaponry and how do you carry it all?" Gale shrugged and said "After a while, you get used to the burden of carrying so much gear. I always carry more than I need because it's better to have something you need, opposed to not having it at all" The abbess smiled and said "I understand, I must leave now, if there is anything you require, please speak to me" The three nodded and walked into the abbey again. Gale looked at his companions and suggested that they split up and meet up again later.

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Concludes another chapter as always, read and review!


	11. Chapter 11:Dreams

Sorry for late releases, school and life just keep getting in the way. In this chapter, I will be typing on word and uploading the file, copy and paste removes some formatting. Again, thanks for reviews, always helpful to me. Will try to update as much as possible. As I will be going on a trip soon, this is a short chapter to entertain you folks until I get back, it will be a very interesting chapter. As always, read and review! This chapter will be about messages that Martin sends the three.

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After a while, Gale decided to get some sleep instead of staying up all night. As he entered his room, he noticed that he felt calmer than usual and he considered it a good omen. While he was sleeping, he dreamt of Redwall abbey, as he walked, he saw a mouse clad in armour approach him. "Gale, there is something you should know" The mouse said, "one of your friends are going to betray you at a time where you least expect it" Gale stared at the mouse and then replied "Look, I have no idea who you are and you have no right to judge my friend" The warrior moved closer and replied "I am the spirit of Martin the Warrior, I provide assistance to those who need it and I strongly urge you to take my warning seriously" With that, he slowly approached Gale. Gale backed off a metre and said "I don't care who you are but if you take another step towards me, I will kill you" Martin still approached Gale "Your arrows do not deter me, nothing you do can stop fate" "We'll see about that scum!" Gale fired off an arrow that harmlessly bounced off of Martin's armour. He shot three more arrow at his armour, all bouncing off various points. Gale backed up further and said to Martin "If you advance any more, I will start using APCR arrows, they'll make that armour as effective as paper" Martin ignored this warning and advanced further. Gale loaded the special arrow and fired, it penetrated straight through the armour over Martin's heart. Martin continued his advance, unhindered by the arrow. Gale backed up further, into a corner. Martin finally reached the squirrel, who was firing more arrows that didn't stop Martin. Martin punched Gale in the stomach, winding him, and then picked him up by his throat. Martin said to Gale "I will warn you again, be careful around your friends, it will cost you your life" "See you in hell scumbag" Gale dropped a small green rock, a little bit of smoke was emitted from it. Martin looked in curiosity and said "What is tha-" Kaboom! An explosion rang through the air and Gale woke up in his bed, sweating.

Sev, who was reading books at the library, returned to his room and saw a mouse standing in the shadows. The mouse turned around and said "One of your friend will betray you, ignoring this message will cost you your life" Sev walked into his room and said to the mouse "Look buddy, I have no idea when you came into my room, but I sure as hell know when you will leave" At this the mouse slowly approached Sev and he backed away slowly, straight into someone standing in the doorway. Sev whipped around and saw that he just walked into the abbess "I'm sorry but can you politely tell the mouse in my room to leave?" The abbes looked into the empty room and asked "What mouse?" Sev wheeled around and the mouse that he saw was now gone. He was puzzled but decided that he was tired and he imagined it, he apologized to the abbess and went to sleep. While he slept, he had a weird dream, there was two cloaked figures walking towards him. Sev recognized both of them once they got close enough, one was Gale, although he seemed older, the other was Martin, the mouse from the tapestry. He asked loudly "I know both of you, why are you here?" The squirrel look at him and said "We have never met before, in fact, this is our first meeting" "You stand mistaken, Gale Redblade, we met before" The squirrel walked closer and smiled "No, I am Tobias Redblade, Father of Gale, he looks remarkably similar to me" Sev was taken off guard by this comment "You have a point, although I am wondering why you came to me" Tobias smiled again and said "Martin here tried to communicate to Gale, however, Gale was a little impulsive and refused to believe Martin" Sev turned to the mouse and asked "You were in my room before" Martin nodded and said "I saw a tragedy and I hope that I can help prevent it" Sev looked at both of them and asked "What do you want me to do?" "We want you to convince Gale to follow the advice that we gave him. We also recommend that you use caution around Cearul" Sev look confused at first, then he nodded and asked "What if Gale still refuses? If he decided to ignore you once, how will you do it a second time?" Tobias walked closer to Sev and said "If he still doesn't believe you, say the words 'If life throws you an obstacle, don't hope for miracles, create your own' Those were the last words that I said to him" Sev nodded and his vision blurred, his surroundings slowly faded away.

Cearul, who had been sitting in his room, decided that he should get some sleep for tomorrow. He was thinking _It took two days to get to Redwall, the damm wildcat gave me twelve days. I will ask to see it and then run away with it during the night. They won't even know what happened. _He decided that he should get sleep rather than stay awake. As he slept, he dreamt of Redwall abbey. There was a sword on it's wall. The sword appeared normal other than an engraving that said _I am That Is_. Then Cearul heard a voice "Your desires shall lead to peril" Cearul looked around and didn't see anyone. He shouted out loud "Who and where are you" The reply was "It doesn't matter who I am, take my advice, don't be overcome with greed" Cearul noticed that his surroundings were slowly fading away…

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Another chapter. Again, I will try to update as much as possible. Read and review!


	12. Chapter 12:An Adventure at Last!

Pretty hard time for me. My gym teacher's father has just died. Although I have no connection to him, I feel sad from this event. I have never had a strong relationship with my gym teacher, however, I wish the best for him. I offer my condolences to him and I wish that anyone who is reading this to take a moment and offer yours too. This chapter is for you Mr. Dyce. Different format yet again. Read and review!

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After the three had their individual dreams, they all woke up and met each other. All three wondered about the different dreams they had. As the three approaches each other, Gale asked "How are you two, did you sleep well?" "Yes, although I wish I slept earlier, I am exhausted" Sev looked at Cearul and asked "How about you?" Cearul shrugged and said "I had a pleasant sleep, although I did have an extremely weird dream" Gale and Sev seem surprised "How peculiar, I had similar dreams" "Agreed, I had a similar vision" "Perhaps I may shed some light upon you" The three whipped around and they saw the abbess standing there. "If you three would like to follow me, I may be able to help you three" They slowly followed until they were in front of an enormous tapestry. Sev stepped forward and said "This mouse was in the dream that I had last night" "Same here, he told me something about trust" Sev looked at Gale and said "Your father came as well" Gale looked surprised for a moment but he let out a long laugh shortly after. He looked at Sev and said "My father died two years ago, if he could talk, then why not come to me?" "I'm not sure, if he could I bet he would" Gale looked at him and asked "If he did come then what did he tell you?" "He told you to listen to the message Martin sent you" Gale looked surprised "Martin? The mouse in armour?" The abbess nodded and said "Martin has been known to tell certain people thing in times of peril" Gale still looked optimistic and Sev said "He told me to tell you 'If life throws you an obstacle, don't hope for miracles, create your own'" Gale suddenly lunged forward and grasped Sev's neck with one paw, in the other was a knife. He push Sev to the ground and shouted "Where did you hear that, who told you!?" "Relax Gale, I told you your father ca-" "My father is _dead_!" Then something that nobody expected happened, Abbess Ashenwyte grabbed Gale by the shoulder and pulled him off of Sev and yelled "Your conduct is disgraceful!" Gale stood straight up and kicked the abbess away and drew a bow with an arrow notched. He pointed it at her and asked "Just give me a reason not to shoot you" By then a small crowd had formed around them. The abbess, instead of fear, showed anger "How will shooting you bring back your father? The past is the past" Gale immediately burst into tears and collapsed onto the ground "The first time I left, I promised him that I would be back within a year, I spent three years travelling and by the time I got back, my father had died of grief" Sev kneeled down and said "When your father came, he didn't seem mad or disappointed, in fact, he seemed proud" Gale seemed slightly reassured and stood up "After the funeral, his will stated that this belonged to me" At that he drew a curved, magnificent blade "He said that one day, he saw a poor monk being attacked by boars, after he saved the monk, he gave my father this sword. This was one of the only things that he left for me" Cearul stepped forward and said "My father died too when I was younger, I never quite recovered. The last thing he did was swearing me into the army" Gale sheathed the blade and turned towards the abbess "I am sorry for any distress I may have caused, I shall be leaving shortly" "There will be no need for that, what happened was explainable although I must politely ask you to surrender your weapons, _ALL_ of them" Gale nodded again and he walked back into the abbey slowly.

After an hour, after Gale had relinquish his arms, all three of them meeted around the tapestry with the abbess. Cearul stepped forward and stated "I would like to to see the sword of Martin, could you show it to me?" The abbess suddenly seemed sad and said "Alas, the sword was stolen from this abbey not too long ago. Nobody seems to know where it went, although many say that a viper called Asmodeus stole it" Cearul looked shocked and said "I must see the sword, many lives depend on it" "I told you, the sword was taken, there is nothing I can do for you" Gale put his paw on Cearul's shoulder and said "If you must, we could go and get it" The abbess said "Nobody knows where Asmodeus lives, also negotiating with a pit viper might not be the smartest of options" Sev stepped forward and said "I know a fox who might be able to help us with our dilemma. He owes me a favor from the past" "I learned how to deal with pit vipers from before" Cearul seemed incredibly surprised and said "You guys would really do that for me?" "Of course, I you say live depend on us we might as well give it a shot" Abbess Ashenwyte looked even more surprised and asked "Are you three telling me that you actually want to face a pit viper just for a sword?" All three said the same thing at once "Yes"

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Another chapter, will try to get 13 by Tuesday, no promises though! Again, shoutout to my gym teacher. Stay strong, stay safe and enjoy the Grammys! Peace out!


	13. Chapter 13: Myles

Again, new chapter and whatnot. I will try and update as soon as possible if time permits. Got high school and I really want to do good, last semester was a 97% average but I can do better. So I might update less frequently than before. Read and Review! Long live Redwall! /\/ / /\/ _/ /-\

The three of them walked north for half a day now. They decided to go to the fox that Sev said could tell them more about Asmodeus. Cearul still seemed sceptical that the fox could help them at all. Their trek had been a huge bore, there was nothing that they wanted to talk about and they all looked forward and walked. When the sun was almost down, they made camp and decided to call it a day. As they prepared a fire, Sev asked them "Any of you have any stories to share?" "Sure, but it's a long one" The two heads turned towards Gale "It's about how I found my son" Both Cearul and Sev seemed surprised "Found? Don't you mean born?" Gale shook his head and said "Found him in a desert, took him in after that ordeal" "Really? Tell us about that" "Sure, I remember it like it was just a few weeks ago. I was a general in my army and I was fighting in the desert…"

"General Gale, do you think it could be a trap sir?" The mole seemed panicked, after all, they only had 30 soldiers. "No, if they were to act, they would have done so a long time ago" Gale was much younger at this time, he was a newly promoted general who was asked to secure a nearby town. He commanded the first commandos while his brother, Malcom, commanded the sixth infantry. While they were closing in, they saw a small object protrude from the top of a dune. "Doesn't look like a periscope to me, looks like wood" "Wood sir? Why would there be a wooden post in the middle of a desert?" Gale squinted, there also seemed to be something gray around it. He crawled back down the dune and turned towards his brother "Malcom, take your squad and flank the post, if there are any enemies there, we will have the element of surprise" Malcom nodded and he departed with 15 soldiers. Gale motioned towards his troops to follow. He kept his head low, under the top of the dune and he would occasionally pop out and see if anyone saw him. After a few minutes, he was on the other side of the dune that he saw, he saw his brother around the other end. Gale motioned to Malcom to attack and they all charged over the dunes. It was hard to tell who was more surprised, Malcom or Gale.

What they saw was gruesome, there was a small squirrel bound to the wooden post, blood stained the sand around him. Gale looked to Malcom, who was awestruck. After the initial shock, Gale closed in and saw the squirrel in more detail, he had sandy colored fur, he was very young and he looked like he was tortured. He wore a tattered, grey tunic. Gale walked up to him, patted him on the cheek and asked "Are you still alive?" The squirrel slowly open it's eyes, after a second of looking around, he struggled frantically, Gale lept back and watched and the squirrel attempted to break free from his bonds. After a minute, he seemed to calm down, feeling reassured, Gale stepped forward with his canteen and asked "Would you like some water? Me and my companions are all friendly, we do not wish to hurt you, do you understand?" The young squirrel nodded and Gale offered him his canteen, the squirrel drank over half of it and showed no sign of stopping. Gale pulled the canteen away and said "You don't want to drink too much, it could make you sick" The squirrel nodded again, Gale knelt down and drew out a dagger. Gale looked at the young squirrel and said "I'm going to cut you free, please try avoiding movement" The young squirrel stood up straighter and patiently waited for Gale to finish cutting his bonds. As soon as he was freed, the squirrel collapsed onto the ground. Gale tried waking him up, he couldn't. He turned towards his soldiers and said "Set up camp for tonight, all medics report to me, we leave early tomorrow so sleep early, understood?" A sharp yell came back as a reply "Yes Sir!" As his soldiers propped up tents and scouted for firewood, Gale carried the squirrel into a small tent that was set up for him. He consulted with the few medics that they had, the squirrel had a chance of recovering although he was incredibly weak. Gale left the squirrel on his bed and decided to wait for him to wake. After about five minutes, the squirrel slowly regain consciousness. "Say lad, what's your name?" The squirrel shook his head. "Look, like I said before, I have no intention of hurting you, I saved your life and I request to know your name" The squirrel muttered something, too quietly for Gale to hear. "Could you please repeat yourself?" The squirrel said in a small voice "Myles" "Well Myles, pleasure to meet you, I'm General Gale Redblade, 1st commandos of the Imperial United Army" He extended a paw as a gesture of friendship, Myles hesitated and then shook Gale's paw. Gale seemed happy that Myles was slowly recovering, both mentally and physically. "It seems that you haven't eaten for quite some time, perhaps you would like to join me for a meal?" Again, Myles nodded and struggled to stand up, Gale walked over and helped Myles walk outside of the tent and in front of a warm fire. After Myles sat down, Gale left for a short moment and returned with a small paper package. Gale sat and unravelled the package, revealing a small metal container, he turned to Myles and said "Would you like some potato soup? It is quite popular north of here" Myles, who hadn't eaten for days, gladly accepted and he saw Gale putting it into a pot of water above the fire. After a while, Gale pulled it out and opened it, the aroma was amazing, Myles' mouth watered as he was starving. Myles wolfed down nearly half of the ration within seconds and after a minute, the tin was empty. Gale chuckled "Finished already? I'll go and get a second ration for you" Gale came back a few seconds later with another tin and offered it to Myles. After Myles was done with the second, Gale asked "You're greedy aren't you? Two days rations all in a few minutes" Myles seemed a little frightened "Just kidding, say, you could use a change of attire" The squirrel look at himself and then he nodded. Gale led him back into his tent and left. Myles sat patiently and waited for Gale to return. When Gale returned, he held a small bundle in his arms. He sat down beside Myles and unravelled the small bundle. There was a brand new tunic, it was camouflaged to blend in with the desert. Gale handed it over and said "This is for you, it will be much better than those rags that you wear now" Myles put on the new tunic, he turned to Gale and smiled. Another chapter complete! Mext one is on tha way! Enjoy and review please!


	14. Chapter 14: Jenko

Quite sorry for lack of updates, school and life keep getting in the way, some might be asking "Nice previous chapter but how the hell will that be relevant later?" Just _wait, _I got some great ideas cooking about future events, I am also aware that Asmodeus is an adder, not a pit viper and I will find a way to fix that soon. On a personal note, I just won an archery competition! Boy I feel like Legolas now! Read and Review! /\/ / /\/ _/ /-\

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"That's basically how I found him. After that, I took him in and he slowly became my son" His companions both seemed surprised and interested. Sev asked "So you found him and immediately took him in, don't you find that a little impulsive?" "No, I didn't immediately adopt him, it took some time for us to bond and after that…" "So you adopted him, then what?" Gale thought hard for a while "

As the sun slowly rose, the three slowly woke up "How'd you two sleep tonight?" Cearul turned to Gale and said "Not very well, had a fare share of unpleasant dreams" Sev chuckled "On the contrary, I can't be me without most of my beauty sleep" "What beauty, the one you want to have or the one you don't have?" Sev crossed his arms and scowled. "Thankfully we are only a few hours march away from our objective" Cearul turned to face Sev "Say, why _DO_ you think this fox could tell us anything important?" Sev thought hard for a moment before saying "There aren't many who could know as much as he does, if anyone knows anything about Asmodeus, then it's him" Cearul was still not convinced "If he does know anything, why would he tell us anything? Seems like a bloody waste of time" "I helped him before and he owes me a favor, he has a strict honor code and I'm certain that he would help us" "What if he decides that he should kill us instead of helping us?" Sev turned to Cearul and looked into his eyes "You'll just have to trust me, I know this fox well" Cearul grunted and still didn't seem convinced.

After another hour of walking they came across a huge castle, it's walls were tall and intimidating. The walls were made of sleek granite, there were torches that cast an eerie glow from the castle. As they approached the gates, a small group of vermin ran out of the front gates and surrounded them. The three continued to walk, ignoring the small group of vermin, who moved along with them. As they got closer, they saw a figure appear over the top of the wall. There was a red-furred fox peering over the edge, he seemed to be studying the group. Sev looked up at the fox and asked "Jenko, you old bandit, would you provide me with some assistance?" The fox smiled and muttered something to a nearby rat, the gates of the castle swung wide open. The fox replied "Ah Sev, long time no see, what assistance of mine would you like?" The fox's voice was cold and sleek, he also looked like he thought of every word in his sentence carefully. "Perhaps we could discuss this in your… humble dwelling?" The fox disappeared over the wall and appeared in the entrance of the huge castle. "The door's wide open, welcome to Fort Jenko" Sev motioned to his comrades to follow him, they did, although they looked as though they were walking into a coffin.

The fox led them into a wide staircase and the climbed up until they reached a brightly lit chamber. The fox motion to them to enter and they all sat around a large table in the middle of the room. The fox spoke again, in the same cold voice "If you haven't caught on yet, my name is Jenko, I am a friend of Sev" "I'm Gale, pleasure to meet you" "My name is Cearul" Jenko looked over to Cearul and asked "You don't talk much do you?" "Actions speak louder than words" The fox nodded and turned to Sev "How may I assist you?" "Tell us everything you know about a pit viper called Asmodeus" The fox chuckled and replied "Straight to the point, you never change do you? Besides, Asmodeus is an adder, not a pit viper" Sev seemed intrigued "Does he have any weaknesses?" "Not any that I know of, although he is slow to attack" "Elaborate" "Adders attack in quick, well timed attacks, they wait for the right moment to strike" Sev nodded and asked "Anything we should look out for?" Jenko thought for a moment and said "Yes, a single drop of his venom could kill twenty badgers instantly, he has hypnotic vision and he has thick scales" Gale asked "So if he bite us, we die. If we look at im, we will get bitten and die and we can't scratch him?" The fox smiled "Yes" "Well, what the hell do we do then?" Gale smirked and said "I could shoot his eyes out, then we could just surround and kill him" "Can you really hit his eyes without looking at them?" "I will wear some eye protection" Cearul scoffed and asked "Can you even hit a target so small, even if he stays still?" Gale nodded and said "I can probably hit his eyes if you can distract him" Sev nodded and turned to the fox again "Do you know where he lives?" "Alas no, although legend says that he lives east of Redwall abbey, he hunts during nighttime, so you can follow him to his den" "So it's agreed then, we wait during the night and then we follow him, steal the sword and then kill him"

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Again, sorry for lack of updates, however, I already have the next chapter, I will wait a day or two then I will release it. I bet one of my friends that I would have 20 chapters before I have 200 views total, he one so I named the fox after him :) Peace out!


	15. Chapter 15:The ambush

As previously stated, I had this chapter for quite some time, I decided to post this a few days after the last one. On advice for a friend, this chapter will be 75% backstory and 25% actual story. I am very surprised by the reception I am getting (Both for this story and my internet, as hotels don't have great internet) I have never expected to hit the 300 total view achievement. As for all the folks who think I will simply give up on this story, NOPE. When I first made this story, I made a commitment to provide some form of entertainment for you. I will finish this Fanfic, I swear. I know most of you are saying now "Get on with the bloody story already" Here it is :)

"I don't think its that easy, as Asmodeus has kept a remarkably low profile so even my sources cannot pinpoint his location. Only the GUOSIM might know where he lives" Both Gale and Cearul seemed confused "What is the GUOSIM?" The fox sighed and replied "It stand for the Guerrilla Union Of Shrews in Mossflower. They are a resistance force that is swore to protect Mossflower" Cearul still seemed vastly suspicious and asked even more questions "How do you know Sev, I mean it's not everyday that you can just wander straight into someone's castle like it was their own" The fox seemed to think for a moment before replying "We were both bandits before, we got into a altercation with some hares" "Would you care to elaborate?"

Two years ago

"On my count, we strike, same tactics as usual" Sev was almost used to the procedures. He was part of a small group of bandits that would attack and loot helpless creatures. The winter was the hardest time of the year to do so, all potential cover was gone and their fur stood out in the white snow. On that particular day, they heard a small group moving through the forest, they were hares. Although they would have preferred to leave any trained groups alone, they hardly had any choice in this matter. They all hid behind the trunks beside the small road. There would be one bandit on the road, he would fake an injury and force victims to lose their guard, then they would all be killed and their bodies pillaged. There were thirty of them, the strong who seeked power, the weak who followed the strong and the smart ones who seeked challenges. Sev had recently joined the group, he joined with another fox called Jenko. He looked over to his friend who was cleaning a claymore "Showtime Jenk, you spend far too much time cleaning that sword anyways" The fox looked up from his blade and chuckled "A warrior is as only as good as the weapon that he carries" "A warrior should spend time preparing for a battle, after all, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" "Get ready!" A hushed whisper ran throughout the thirty of them. They all took their positions, each of them knowing his or her role. A fox stood hunched over on the road, he looked towards them and nodded. The fox slowly limped forward until they heard a shout "Halt!" The fox looked towards the tall hare, behind him were 20 or so hares. "Please help me, there are a small group of stoats who attacked me. Please help!" The fox collapsed upon the ground soon later. There were mumbled debates "Poor lad, we should help him" "Utter nonsense, gut the bastard!" "With all do respect sah, he is in need of assistance" "He's a fox he should deserve to die" "SILENCE!" The hare at the front bellowed "I've had enough of your blabbering, we will help the fox, weather you like it or not!" All of the hares formed a small circle around the fox. A few of them bent down to help, the rest all stood and stared. "NOW!" The hares whipped around to face the voice that they heard, they were met with a hail of arrows. The road that they were on offered no cover, the hares stood their ground, only to end up with arrow shafts to their chests.

A few attempted to dive into the nearby forest for cover, only to be stabbed by the bandits that hid there. After that, all of the remaining hare were shot and the bandits slowly walked out of the forest. All of dragged all of the bodies into one pile "Remember, take anything that might be of any value, we share the profits so don't rush yourselves" After five minutes, all of the corpses have been looted, valuables, clothing and weapons were their primary discovery. A few hares had heirlooms, golden bracelets and other small pieces of value. As they gathered all of their loot together, they heard a loud roar "Eulalia!" As the bandits wheeled around, they saw a badger and 50 hares charging against the bandits. The bandits, taken off guard and outnumbered, took off in a full-tilt sprint into the woods. Some held their ground, only to be killed soon after. Jenko and Sev dashed towards a ravine, they knew that if they could get there, they might stand a chance against any hare that pursued them. They knew their surroundings very well, they hoped that this knowledge would save them. As the two continued their mad dash, Jenko tripped over a root. As Sev spun around to help him, ten hares approached the two. Jenko seemed frantic, he shouted to Sev "Run! I shall hold them off for as long as I can, you get to that ravine!" Sev shook his head and drew his rapier "Not in this lifetime, Perhaps you could assist me in fighting these hares?" Jenko slowly stood up, it was obvious that he had injured himself badly. The two stood their ground as the hares surrounded them. The hares struck first, one of them leapt at the two with a broadsword in hand. The hare received two stab wounds, one to the gut and one into his heart. The other nine all charge at once, both bandits suffered great wounds, however, it wasn't enough to finish them off. As they finished off the last hare, a huge badger ran out of the woods and straight at them. Sev looked at his friend and said "You run, i'll deal with him" As Jenko quickly limped away, Sev stared down his opponent, he was a fully grown male badger, he wore a shining suit of armor and carried a large hammer. Sev already knew the outcome, when, he wasn't sure. As the two clashed, Sev used his agility to dodge the mighty hammer that could end his life with one swift blow. The problem was that Sev was already injured and wounded, soon after, his energy ran out. He could hardly move, let alone avoid the hammer that swung so near to him.

As he sidestepped another blow, he just collapsed. He struggled to scramble back to his feet, knowing that death would come if he stopped moving. As he got up, the massive hammer slammed into his side, sending him flying through the air. He tumbled down a nearby hill and he never got up. The badger scoffed and walked away, knowing that the blow wasn't a killing one. The wound that the weasel sustained were far more than sufficient to finish him off.

"I conveniently landed a few feet from where I was hiding. I helped him recover after. He was quite fortunate, nobody with wounds that bad should survive" Sev chuckled "Just got lucky I suppose" "I am sorry to ruin this touching story but we must discuss business" "How correct you are Gale, regarding the snake, you say he lives east of Redwall?" "Yes, although his exact location is unconfirmed" "We can go to the GUOSIM and ask them" Cearul got up and said "There isn't any time for that" All three looked at Cearul, who looked slightly embarrassed for what he said "What do you mean 'There isn't any time' Is there something you aren't telling us?" "I-I-I just mean that time is of the essence now, lives are at stake" " If that is the case then what do you suggest we do then?" Cearul stood there and thought "Perhaps at night we can follow him to his lair, when he leaves, we enter, steal the sword then we run" Gale nodded and said "I might be able to shoot his eyes if I can get above him, I got five special arrows designed to penetrate thick armor" "So if you were, say in a tree, you could fire twice before the snake knows?" "Yes"

That's another backstory, the next chapter May or may not be a backstory. Again, sorry for lack of updates. I try my best to type whenever I have the time.


	16. Chapter 16 (temporary)

By now most people are asking "Where in the world are you? Did you just fall asleep at the keyboard or what?" What is happening is that my ISP is upgrading in my neighborhood. In short, big machines come and rip cables out of the ground and put in better cables. I have to go to a library to have internet access. I have managed the occasional review but no time for chapters. Heres what ill do, I will rework the chapters that I _DO_ have available to me. I can get a friend to post them for me but for now, Peace Out!


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